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Death Penalty for Malagasy Farmers over Land Dispute · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

21 farmers from the locality of Ankorondrano-Analavory  (90 km west of Antananarivo, Madagascar) were sentenced by the state court of Miarinarivo to various sentences because of a collective act of rebellion that stemmed from  a dispute over land ownership. To protest the expropriation of lands that they believe was theirs for decades, farmers fought with police forces that came to evict them from the disputed land. The scuffle resulted in the deaths of 2 policemen and 1 woman from the community.
The ruling came out 8 months ago but an increased online campaign for clemency for the farmers put the story back into public awareness.  Polarized conversations about the verdicts are taking places on online forums and blogs.
Before reporting the different viewpoints, a   brief background on the legal implications of the dispute and sentences is necessary.
According to L’Express de Madagascar, The legal rights to the 172 ha of land belongs to a promoter who acquired the land for a development project (unconfirmed sources mentioned the construction of an amusement park).  However, the farmers have been effectively growing crops on the land since the 70’s when the legal ownership of the land were not clearly defined.
The 21 farmers were sentenced as follows:  13 received death penalties, 6 to 12 years were sentenced to forced labor,  one farmer received one year of imprisonment and another one year on probation.
(
A netizen, Raharimbahoaka Andriahobijaona,  explains  on the facebook page advocating clemency for the farmers that Madagascar is one of the nations that signed the pact to abolish death penalty (instituted in 1958 in Madagascar) so even though death penalty has not been removed from the constitution yet, all the 53 death penalty sentences pronounced to this day have all been effectively “transformed” into life sentences.  He goes on arguing (fr):
“ devant la justice, vu les faits et les preuves, les riches ont presque toujours gain de cause. La justice n'est pas mal faite, mais certaines lois sont dépassées et ne correspondent plus au monde actuel.[..]Le vrai problème est que le foncier dans la tradition malgache reste un héritage culturel.”
In front of the court of justice, given the facts and evidences, wealthy people will always eventually win their case. The judicial system is not all at fault here, it’s just a few laws that are obsolete and do not correspond to the reality of the current world. The main issue in Madagascar is that real estate is still rooted in the tradition of cultural inheritance [inadequate in the globalization trends]
He also adds:
“Utiliser la presse étrangère, la diaspora malgache et tous les médias dont on disposent est,  je pense,  très utile. Car à notre ère, la présidence suit de très près ce qui se passe au pays et ailleurs. Ce qui compte c'est la manière et la façon dont on s'y prend  pour agir. Nous devons respecter la loi en vigueur tout en négociant pour pouvoir trouver ce qu'il convient de faire sur le moment.”
I believe that utilizing foreign media, the Malagasy diaspora and all other media avenues can be effective.  In this era, the presidency is following closely what is being said in the country and overseas. What matters is the way that we would go about acting [on behalf of the farmers]. We must respect the current legal system while negotiating what is best [for the farmers] at the moment.
A petition to free the farmers has been issued and formally presented to the president Marc Ravalomanana and the minister of Justice Bakolalao Ramanandraibe Ranaivoharivony by the French Association for friendship and solidarity with the African People (AFASPA).
Supporters of the liberation of the Malagasy farmers voiced their outrage at the sentencing especially considering the complex history of real estate inheritance in that region.  Jean Razafindambo explains that the colonization period induced  a lot of confusion regarding actual ownership of land. He offers the following solution (fr):
“Le dialogue ne devrait-il pas toujours primer sur la répression dans un litige foncier? [..]L'Etat de Madagascar devrait racheter ces hypothèques à leurs justes valeurs actuelles et effectuer une réforme agraire en bonne et due forme qui tient compte des facteurs historiques et non juste des archives héritées de la colonization”
Shouldn’t a dialog always be attempted before one moves on to aggressive repression when it comes to real estate dispute? […] The State of Madagascar should purchase back all the mortgage at their current values and implement an agricultural reform that takes into account historical factors and not just real estate archives inherited from the colonization period.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Doing business with the poor · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The United Nations Development Program has released a new report on how businesses may include the global poor as potential customers–and how the global poor might benefit from collaborating more closely with businesses.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Mong Palatino


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Egypt: Collapsing Buildings  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Headlines about collapsing buildings and pulling children's bodies from the rubble are common in Egypt. Ibn Al Dunya, writing in Fustat, briefs us about the latest tragedy which took away five innocent lives.
The blogger explains:
A building in the Nile Delta City of Mansoura collapsed yesterday evening. Five people have been reported dead, and five more are injured according to the official Egyptian news agency Mena. […] It was an old three-storey building.
Why does this happen? Ibn Al Dunya offers the following reason:
The collapsing of buildings happens all too often in Egypt. Many are the examples were an extra storey or two has been added without the approval of the authorities, this going on for years sometimes before it´s discovered, or in cases like this with a fatal outcome.
And what preventative measures are in place to avert such tragedies? Ibn Al Dunya says:
In 1996 new legislation was introduced to counter this problem, but little if any has changed. The most recent instalment of this tragic saga, prior to yesterday´s episode was in Alexandria in December 2007, when 35 people lost their lives.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Jordan: The Big Day!  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian Qwaider is no longer single. Click here to see what he has to say about the Big Day!


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Memorizing Quran and Hadist competition · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Indonesian government in association with the Saudi government will hold an Asean Musabaqah Hifdzil Quran wal Hadist/MHQH (Memorizing Quran and Hadist competition) this month.


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Peru: Digital Rights Management Enforcement · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Francisco Canaza of Apuntes Peruanos [es] is surprised by the authorization for the use of Digital Rights Management (DRM) technologies through a legislative decree from the Peruvian government and which will make it illegal to manufacture modified components for video games, for example.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Peru: Success of National Strike in Doubt · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

A national strike [es]  took place on July 9 throughout Peru, which was organized by the General Confederation of Workers of Peru (CGTP for its initials in Spanish) and had rallied against Peruvian president Alan Garcia's economic policies. According to the El Comercio newspaper, “it was massive and took place in various central and northern provinces registering no major acts of violence [es] .” The same newspaper also collects the opinion of another syndicate movement, Peruvian Workers Confederation (CTP) that says, “The national strike complied by the CGTP was a failure by its general secretary, Mario Huamán [es] .” The differing versions regarding the success of the CGTP's measure of force are divided and can also be better seen in the blogs.
The blogger Mancho from País de Eme [es] declares in his post The Strike Has Arrived [es] that he thought the strike would be grand and the lack of convocation could be due to the discredit that syndicate institutions like the CGTP has:
como es costumbre, el Gobierno saldra a declarar que el Paro fracaso y que el unico ganador es el Perú mientras que por el otro lado la CGTP saldra a decir que todas las regiones paralizaron. Cuando ninguna de las dos es lo real. Ante este Paro, no existe ganador alguno ya que las políticas del Gobierno no cambiaran, la dirigencia del CGTP no cambiara, los pobres segurian siendo pobres y el medio ambiente se ira destruyendo poco a poco ante las políticas aplicadas por este Gobierno. Solo queda por buscar nuevas formas de hacer reaccionar al Gobierno, ya que tras los ultimos paros queda demostrado su inutilidad como objeto de protesta. Tal vez, solo sea que cada vez estamos eligiendo un gobernante mas sordo a la voz del pueblo.
As is customary, the government will say that the strike was a failure and that the only winner is Peru, while the CGTP will declare that all of the regions participated in the strike. When neither of the two is true. With this strike, there is no winner and the government's policies will not change, the management of the CGTP will not change, the poor will remain poor and the environment will continue be destroyed little by little through the policies applied by this government. All that remains is to look for new ways to make the government react, as the last few strikes demonstrated that their use as a protest measure is useless. Maybe, all it is that we continue to elect a governing leader more and more deaf to the people's voice.
Susana Villarán in her post What Should Change [es] makes two points that seem to be important for the motivation for those that called for the strike: The need for a better economic redistribution and the need to reach an agreement. She finishes by proposing the challenge of what is left to be done:
El nuevo liderazgo político y social que surge en las regiones, la Asamblea de Gobiernos Regionales, los partidos emergentes, el movimiento social y político que surgió de la transición democrática deben recuperar el terreno perdido, articular esfuerzos, fortalecer presencia y voz para lograr el cambio, la justicia, la concertación y la gobernabilidad.
The new political and social leadership that emerges in the regions, the Regional Assembly governments, the emerging parties, the political and social movement that emerged during the democratic transition must recuperate their lost terrain, articulate efforts, strengthen its presence and voice to achieve change, justice, compromise, and governability.
Silvio Rendón in the post Syndicalists [es]  from the blog Gran Combo Club [es] writes about Vladimiro Montesinos’ comments regarding the strike.  As the former right hand of ex-president Alberto Fujimori and who is currently in prision, Montesinos mentions that the syndicates did not strike during their administration.  These statements had a positive reaction in the APRA, the current governing party of president Alan García.
La alusión montesinista es parte del discurso “con otros no se quejaban como sí se quejan conmigo”. Este fue un discurso usado y desgastado por Toledo. A Toledo no le funcionó en absoluto. Efectivamente, la prensa fue muy severa con Toledo, cuando no lo fue con Fujimori. Igualmente, Toledo tuvo que enfrentar protestas regionales y sindicales que no tuvo Fujimori. García al usar este argumento demuestra desesperación y frustración por no convencer a la población, a pesar de tener a la prensa de su parte. Claro, no se mete con la población en general, sino con los dirigentes sindicales.
The Montesinos allusion is part of the rhetoric, “with others they do not complain like they complain with me.” This was the rhetoric used and overused by (ex-president Alejando) Toledo. It did not work for Toledo at all. The press was very tough with Toledo, as it was not with Fujimori. In the same way, Toledo had to face regional and syndical protest that Fujimori did not.  García, upon using the same argument, demonstrates desperation and frustration for not being able to convince the populace, even though he has the press on his side. Of course, he does not get involve with the general populace, only the syndicate leadership.
It appears that the strike will soon be followed by other more specific sectors such as agriculture, mining and others, and so the government will have their hands full during the next few weeks. Before I end, I would like invite you to read the post titled, The Post-Strike Post [es] from Generación (A)política [es] that lists various illustrative opinions about what happened and the reactions from various characters in Peruvian politics. The post The Interior is Definitely Another Country [es] by Susana Villarán provides reports about the strike from those on the left.

author: Juan Arellano


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Singapore: Audio books · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

priscilla's world who is based in Singapore shares her fondness for audio books


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Singapore: Babies and economic choice · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Having another baby should be more than just an economic and monetary issue, insists Lucian from Singapore.


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Singapore: Destroy a landmark to build a train station? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Yuhui rejects the decision of the Singapore government to demolish a historic building so that it can build a new train station.


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Summer Early in Kuwait · Global Voices
Abdullatif AlOmar

With the mercury increasing as the summer sets in in Kuwait, bloggers are busy looking for distractions this summer vacation.
Among them is Zdistrict, who goes on a trip to Kubbar Island. He writes:
This was a bit of a hot weekend and going to Kubbar didn’t seem like a bad idea, I wanted to jump in some water too cool off. Took about 20 minutes to get things ready on the boat, and waiting for a few people before heading off to Kubbar. It was hot as hell on the deck, and I wanted to jump right into the water but the water in the Marina is somewhat disgusting so I opted out, instead I was rubbing ice cubes on my head which melted rather quickly.
Meanwhile, Desertgirlkuwait goes on a trip to Kabd. She describes her outing as follows:
Kabd is pronounced “chebd” in local dialect. “Chebd” means liver in Arabic. Don't ask me about the correlation. I don't know.
Since the government bulldozed the entire Funaitees area off of Fahaheel Expressway (30) where most of the farms used to be, almost the entire former population has moved their farms to Kabd. Nobody (except for my friend, M, whose wife kicked him out of the house) lives in these places as they were intended for agricultural use. (When I say “agricultural” I mean “party”.)
Chillnite goes to the Kuwait Aquarium and writes:
Over the weekend we decided to visit the Kuwait Aquarium located in the Kuwait Scientific Center. One word ‘Fantabulous‘…
If you are bogged down by the heat, or over stressed with work, or would like to let off some steam…just drop by at the aquarium.
Image Credit zdistrict

author: Abdullatif AlOmar


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Thailand: Minister resigns over Preah Vihear · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Thailand's foreign minister has resigned over the ownership issue of the Preah Vihear temple, which is also being claimed by Cambodia. chut/bloc discussed further its political implications.


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Tunisia: Introducing Dahsha  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Tunisian blogger Mohammed Marwan Meddah introduces us to Dahsha – an online encyclopaedia, which he describes as “one of the serious efforts to enrich Arab content on the internet.”
Meddah explains:
A lot like Wikipedia, the encyclopedia relies on volunteers to write articles and publish content.
Volunteers can post books, reports, studies, articles and even video, audio and useful programs to the encyclopaedia.
Writing about the project launched by Jordanian software and web development company Jordan Tek, at StartUp Arabia, Meddah adds:
Even though I usually encourage Arab users to try and focus on enriching the Arab version of a global encyclopedia like Wikipedia instead of launching smaller regional or local versions, this project is still a pretty interesting one as it covers some types of content that Wikipedia doesn’t support.
Speaking about the project's limitations, the blogger says:
The system isn’t as open as Wikipedia though, as users can’t change or edit articles by other users; they can only reply or comment on them. Which means that the site’s administrators have to be more involved in reviewing the submitted content, its quality, and whether publishing it violates any copyright laws.
A quick review of the site [Ar] shows a massive collection of articles, which could be easily accessed using a search option on the front page. They include:
عدد المواد المنشورة: 32330
عدد الأعضاء: 5661
عدد التصنيفات: 514
Number of published articles: 32,330
Number of members: 5,661
Number of categories: 514
According to the site's About page:
فمكتبة الموسوعة الآن تحتوي على حوالى 60 ألف كتاب ومجلد . كما تحتوي الأقسام الأخرى على آلاف البحوث والدراسات ، كلها مصنفة في مكانها الصحيح ضمن أقسام الموسوعة ، بحيث يسهُل على المستخدم الوصول اليها والاستفادة منها وتوفَّر عليه ساعات طويلة من البحث. هذا غير المواد الصوتية والبرامج والأفلام التعليمية والثقافية في شتى المجال
The encyclopaedia's library currently hosts around 60,000 books and collections. It also features different sections which contain thousands of studies and research papers, all properly categorised in their respective places, making it easy for users to access and make the most of, thereby saving him long hours of searching. This is in addition to the audio recordings and cultural and educational resources which span different fields and which are available on the site.
The About page concludes its mission statement with the following:
وما هذه الموسوعة سوى بوابة وأداة بحث لمنفعة المستخدم العربي والارتقاء بنوعية وجودة بحثه … الأمر الذي من شأنه إثراء الثقافة العربية الإسلام
This encyclopaedia is only a gateway and a search tool for the benefit of Arab users, in a bid to improve the quality of research .. which will in turn enrich the Arab and Islamic culture.
Photocredit: StartUp Arabia


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Vietnam: Street vendors · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Street vendors were banned from Hanoi's thoroughfares. But noodlepie observes the order had little impact as shown by some of the images in flickr.


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Afghainstan: Gender Debates · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Sanjar says that “women’s question” in Afghanistan provides a vivid illustration of ongoing emotional and sensitive debates on universalism versus cultural relativism, individualism versus tribalism, secularism versus religious state.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Afghanistan: Bombing of the Embassy · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Barnett R. Rubin provides an overview of the last week's terrorist attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul.


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Afghanistan: Isolating Kandahar · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust notes that Kandahar is being aggressively isolated and attacked by the Taliban during this year's fighting season.


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Afghanistan: The Soccer Ladies · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Islam-Feminism posts a story about Afghan businesswomen traveling to the U.S in October to apprentice on the job at American firms.


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Armenia: Diaspora Survey · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Social Science in the Caucasus comments on its research on difficulties faced by ethnic Armenians from the Diaspora when they relocate to Armenia. The blog notes that there is often competition between local and foreign-born Armenians as well as differences in mentality and values.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bahrain: The meaning of volunteering · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

While volunteerism exists in every country, people's motivations for volunteering can vary enormously. A Bahraini blogger currently studying in the UK compares the spirit of volunteering in Bahrain and in Western countries.
Sayed Mahmood Alaali starts by describing what he feels is the basic difference:
He asks whether aspects of this Western tradition of volunteering could be adopted in Bahrain:
النقطة الأساسية التي دائماً ما أتناقش مع الأخوة حولها هي نقطة أن الشخص المتطوع كان بإمكانه الإستفادة من وقته في كسب المال بدلاً من تقديم خدمة العمل التطوعي والذي في مجتمعنا البسيط لا تأتي إلا بالمشاكل والإتهامات التي لا تنتهي. فلو تمكنّا من صرف بدل هذه الساعات و لو كان مبلغاً زهيداً فهو يفيد المتقدم بشكل مادي بسيط و في نفس الوقت يجعله ينظر للعمل من منظور أنه عمل مدفوع لا بد من أدائه بأحسن صورة
He then talks about how to combat negative attitudes:
Finally he mentions the strong tradition of voluntary work in Bahrain's villages, and the decrease in volunteering amongst the younger generation:

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Bangladesh: An Expensive Wedding · Global Voices
Rezwan

A wedding is considered the most important event of a Bangladeshi girl's life and an integral part of the local culture. Nirjona describes a typical wedding:
(A) Bangladesh wedding is a huge arrangement. It is all about color, food and family gatherings. Not many years ago people used to invite the whole town to celebrate the wedding for seven days. Now-a-days it has changed. Now wedding is a four days ceremony…
A Bangladeshi bride: Photo: from flickr user www.MonjurulHoque.com used under creative commons license.
(The) first day of the ceremony is called the bride’s Gaye Holud. In our culture we believe that turmeric paste makes the skin soft and make bride more beautiful for the wedding day. This is the main reason this day is called Gaye Holud which means “apply body turmeric paste to the skin.” This day everyone wears yellow cloths.
She continues in the next post:
Day 2 – is called the Gaya Holud for the groom. This is the same thing for groom’s side.
Day 3- is the final wedding day. The wedding ceremony is arranged by the bride’s family. The bride and groom are seated separately. […]
Everyone wear very colorful clothes. Bride wear red outfit with heavy gold ornaments. Once the ceremony is completed then the groom takes the bride to his home.
Day- 4 is the last day – we calle it Bouvat. This is kind of a reception party arranged by the groom’s family.
But these celebrations cost a lot of money and usually become a burden for the family. Adhunika Blog discusses the issue:
In today’s high priced market of Bangladesh a wedding is not just finding your daughter or son their life partner, it is also a contest where the two parties tries to spend more than the other trying to portray a wedding scene from one of the popular serials or a Bollywood movie.
This new practice takes its toll over the middle class people of the country who want to provide their offspring a memorable wedding yet struggle with the expenses of it.
Bride covered in gold. Image courtesy Adhunika Blog
The blog provides some detailed statistics of expenses during a typical wedding and summarizes:
So all in all an average wedding today will cost a family a minimum of Tk. 5 lakh-15 lakh, (around US$ 7,150- 21,430), not counting any dowry items, well they don’t call it dowry anymore but the practice of giving the groom furniture, car, apartment or something else as gifts by the brides parents still remain a common practice in Bangladesh.
And finally, the blog reminds that a line must be drawn somewhere and how people can act for the betterment of the society:
While we are spending from US $ 150 to $700 behind things we are to wear at someone else’s wedding only $10 can provide one carton of high energy protein biscuits to support malnourished children for a month. $300 covers a years supply of antirectrovial drugs for one HIV positive child. $17 can immunize a child against the 6 major childhood diseases. Such statistics are immense, and if you are willing there are several organizations in Dhaka today who can advice you on contributing to the betterment of the underprivileged in and around the country with only part of the expenses of you lavish wedding.

author: Rezwan


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Brazil: “Forget adsense, I want a banner from the Senate!” · Global Voices
Paula Góes

The little banner at the top right corner of the paraiba.com.br website costs the taxpayers of Brazil US$ 30,084.61 per month. According to the contract, this is for the “Provision of a promotional banner branded by the Senate with a direct link to its web page at www.paraiba.com.br over twelve (12) consecutive months.”
The scoop came from the Contraditorium blog, where Carlos Cardoso published the results of his investigation: the Brazilian Senate pays a monthly fee of US$ 30,084.61 for a 120×60 pixel  advertising banner, a generous deal with a not very known website. The site www.paraiba.com.br [pt] is number 208,667 in the Alexa ranking, in which Contraditorium itself is far ahead: 98,637. Cardoso claims that this is not the first year of the agreement:
O contrato atual foi assinado 15/5/2008, mas não é o primeiro. Em 12/4/2007 assinaram um nos mesmos termos, mas custando apenas R$40.000,00 POR MÊS. Pelo visto os custos de manter sites online aumentaram bastante.
The current contract was signed on 15/5/2008, but it was not the first one. On 12/4/2007 a deal under the same terms was made, but costing only R$40.000,00 [US$ 25,039.17] A MONTH. It seems that the cost of maintaining online websites has increased steadily.
The links to the above mentioned contracts, both the first and the second, are available on the Internet. However, they have been modified since the leak on the blogosphere and the Portuguese word for “monthly” has been deleted. The original version of the latest contract as pictured below can still be seen in cache. ‘Monthly’ appears in capital letters below the amount of the contract (R$ 48,000.00 Mensal):
Bloggers were quickly following up. Blog de Aluguel [pt] went further with the investigations and discovered a few noteworthy facts about the domain owner (Henrique Cirne, from Era Digital Internet Graphics LTDA, according to Registro.br). Apparently, the group also owns the below domains:
domínio:       correspondentejuridico.com.br
domínio:       eduardomedeiros.com.br
domínio:       efraimmorais.com.br
domínio:       efraimorais.com.br
domínio:       eradigital.com.br
domínio:       falcoesdaserra.com.br
domínio:       paraiba.com.br
domínio:       ronaldocunhalima.com.br
domínio:       william.com.br
Sim amiguinho, dominio de senador, eleito pelo democratas e tudo mais.
domain: correspondentejuridico.com.br
domain: eduardomedeiros.com.br
domain: efraimmorais.com.br
domain: efraimorais.com.br
domain: eradigital.com.br
domain: falcoesdaserra.com.br
domain: paraiba.com.br
domain: ronaldocunhalima.com.br
domain: william.com.br
Yes dear friend, the domain belongs to a senator, elected by the Democratic [Party] and so on.
At least one of them hosts Efrain Morais’ personal webpage [pt].  He is an elected Senator [pt] for the state of Paraíba. Mário Aragão [pt] gives more details about the people mentioned in the domain names:
Quem é Efraim Morais? É um senador do DEMo (Paraíba). O mesmo que articula no Senado a criação de aproximadamente 90 “cargos de confiança” (sem concurso) de R$ 10.000 por mês. Quem é Ronaldo Cunha Lima? É pai do atual governador da Paraíba, Cássio Cunha Lima (ambos do PSDB). Deve ser coincidência!!!
Who is Efraim Morais? He is a DEMo Party (Paraiba) senator. The same one who articulates in the Senate the creation of approximately 90 R$ 10,000 (US$ 6,260.158) a month “positions of trust” (without civil service competitive examinations) . Who is Ronaldo Cunha Lima? He is the father of the current governor of Paraiba, Cássio Cunha Lima (both from the PSDB [Party]). It must be coincidence!
Manoel Netto, from T3cnocracia [pt], pointed out that beyond its astonishing price, the contract may also be illegal because it infringes Law 8,666, also known as the “Public Tender Law”:
Deixando claro, só se pode contratar um serviço sem licitação quando o mesmo for tão específico que não haja competição no mercado. Mesmo que fosse o caso do bannerzinho ser maravilhosamente único, serviços de publicidade são especificamente proibídos de serem tratados como inexigíveis, portanto, esse contrato não deveria ser aprovado, certo?
To make it clear, it is only possible to contract a service without bidding when it is so specific that there is no competition in the market. Even if it was the case that the little banner was so wonderfully unique, advertising services are specifically forbidden from being treated as exempt from bidding, therefore the contract should not be approved, right?
The more bloggers investigate, the more irregularities they find. Cardoso [pt] published an update:
A contratação dos banners ilegais também foi feita com esta empresa e com a Rádio e TV Paraibana.
The illegal banners deal has also been made with this company and with the Paraibana Radio and TV.
The first link above takes to deal for the same type of contract with another not so popular website. Similarly, the second one is a US$ 30,084.61 contract for “promotional banner branded by the Senate with a link address to its webpage (www.senado.gov.br)”. However, Paraibana Radio and TV does not even seem to have a website.
The debate has just started and the mainstream media is still behind. Many bloggers now are “concentrating efforts” and a sense of humour to get a similar deal with the Senators, with many publishing the banner on the left, which reads: “Dear Senators: Advertise on my site”.

author: Paula Góes


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Brazil: Senate pays 30,084.61 USD a month for banner · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Carlos Cardoso [pt], from Contraditorium blog, secured a major scoop ahead of any media: according to him, the Brazilian Senate pays US$ 30,084.61 a month for a small advertising banner on the rather obscure website www.paraiba.com.br, which is number 208,667 in the Alexa ranking. See the links to he proves claim with  on his blog.


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Cape Verde: No money for lifeguards? · Global Voices
Paula Góes

“How to explain that there is no money to pay for lifeguards in our beaches, where more and more people have died? How come? Where do all fees and taxes paid in this land go then?”, asks Maktub, from Praia, Cape Verde.


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China: China Stopped Arms Embargo on Zimbabwe · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ruan Yi feng noticed China government's role in voting against an arms embargo on Zimbabwe in U.N. Security Council.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: ChinaBounder back with a book · Global Voices
John Kennedy

ChinaBounder, the country's first major (English-language) male sex blogger, is back after a prolonged blogging absence with a China-bashing book, excerpts of which will be released each day from now through to the end of the Olympics. See Jeremy Goldkorn's post at Danwei for more revealing info.

author: John Kennedy


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China: Human Fresh Search Engine · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

In commenting about the human fresh search engine phenomena, Liu Hong-bo felt that anonymity had become impossible in the Internet world.


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China: Olympics and Politics · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Kang Guo-ping (康國平) felt that the Beijing Olympics is getting more and more politicized because of the fear of terrorists attack.


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China: On Olympic Design · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Chong translated excerpt of Ai Wei Wei's (艾未未) interview on Beijing Olympic design. The full article in China can be found here.


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China: Why did China veto sanctions against Zimbabwe? · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Earlier this year China sent a boatload of weapons to Zimbabwe just following the country's controversial presidential election. Following accusations of political violence and then the re-election of President Mugabe, China teamed up with Russia at the United Nations Security Council last week to veto sanctions being placed against Mugabe and his supporters. [update below]
Indie blogger Ruan Yifeng has chosen to write about the veto on his blog, beginning with pointing out just how significant this incident has been internationally as evidenced by widespread Western media coverage, how the English-language news reports he was able to find were for the most part critical of China, and how unclear he is of just what it is that's happened, and what kind of place Zimbabwe even is.
Starting from there, he digs up some numbers on current inflation rates there, the cost of living, the economic situation, some background on President Mugabe, and a brief explanation of the reasons for the recent post-election violence, as well as posting a map:
不难判断，津巴布韦是一个很混乱很混乱的国家，事实上已经处在内战边缘了。
[…]
既然这个国家有内战，为什么中国不同意武器禁运呢？
事实并不像外交部发言人说的那样简单，实际上，中国在津巴布韦有很深的利益存在。
It's actually not as simple as the Foreign Ministry spokesperson puts it, because in fact China has very invested interests in Zimbabwe.
And further down:
由此可见，中国已经很深地卷入了津巴布韦内政，完全违背了“不干涉他国内政”的原则。北京在为穆加贝政府出钱、出枪、训练士兵。在这种情况下，否决联合国制裁决议，当然是再正常不过了。
[…]
在这里，我不去猜测，为什么北京会支持穆加贝。我只想引用Peking Duck的一段话，指出这两者之间有天然的吸引力。
[Ruan's translation into Chinese]
Chinese politicians are viewed as attempting to spread the theory of economic success through a strong and autocratic central state, which could convince the leaders of poor states without strong rule of law to reverse fragile democratic laws and cement their rule with the excuse that it would make their economies better.
中国政治家好像正在尝试，散播一种理论，那就是如何在保持专制统治的前提下，取得经济成功。这使得那些穷国的领导人相信，不需要推行民主，并且以仿效中国经济成功为借口，来加强他们的独裁统治。
真的就是这样，独裁者都互相爱惜，专制政权都互相喜爱。我想，在心底里，北京可能更愿意与一个独裁者打交道，而不是与一个民主政府打交道。君不见这次奥运会火炬传递，所有民主国家都发生了抗议，所有专制国家都一切顺利。
更有甚者，北京可以通过扮演“独裁者的朋友”的角色，来与美国谈条件，为自己渔利。北韩核危机就是一个绝佳的例子。
《圣经》里说：“惟愿公平如大水滚滚，使公义如江河滔滔。”（But let justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream! ）中国这个国家，不仅自己国内没有公平和正义，还阻碍他国和世界上广大受压迫人民的公平和正义。我作为一个中国人，真的感到非常遗憾和无奈。
What's more, while Beijing plays the role of “friend to the dictators” in negotiations with the US, it also stands to gain from the spoils. The North Korean nuclear crisis is a perfect example.
It's written in the Bible: “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream!” China, this country, not only does lack fairness and justice domestically, but it even blocks fairness and justice in other countries and widely oppresses their people. As a Chinese, I feel extreme sorrow and helplessness.
Update:
Zhang wanted to see comments from the post translated, so:
Sanzomaldini:
希特勒和苏联还携手瓜分波兰呢……
…and Hitler and the USSR joined hands to carve up Poland.
atlas:
没法子啊，不能向美国或英国那样拿到好的势力范围，只能去津巴布韦这种烂地方了
No, we can't go forming good spheres of influence in places like the US or England, we have to go to a crappy place like Zimbabwe.
welco:
1，既然大家没有对武器禁运达成一致 那为什么中国不能卖武器？世界上第一大武器出口商是哪个国家 （你不会认为他既和平又民主吧），如果津巴布韦有能力购买武器的一方是亲美的，美国会投什么票
2 津巴布韦有自己国家决定自己国家命运的权利，如果没有武器斗争就结束了么，恐怕不会而且说不好还会持续更长的时间来决个胜负 死更多人 让一代人葬送在无畏的斗争里。如果你硬要这个国家按你的意志发展 不正是专制吗
1. Seeing as people weren't in unanimous agreement on banning arms shipments, why should China not be able to sell weapons? And which country is is that's the biggest arms exporter in the world? You don't think that it's peaceful and democratic now, do you? If those Zimbabweans with the ability to buy weapons were pro-American, which way would America vote?
2. Zimbabwe as a nation has the right to make the decisions for the fate of its own country. If there were no weapons, would the fighting then stop? I'm afraid not. This sounds bad, but if that were the case, things would just go on longer before either side won. More people would die and a generation would be lost to fighting. If you insist that this country go and do as you suggest, wouldn't that itself be totalitarian?
我不知道一个社会到底怎么发展是好，我不想讨论意识形态的问题 我压根就不关心 但是如果你真的关心津巴布韦 那你就去多了解一下他去真正做些能帮助他们的事 如果你只是google一下 把它当作一个论据 这并不能增加任何说服力 反而让你的那种知识分子的冷漠彰显无遗 真的意识形态挺没劲的 文化大革命在这上面浪费的时间还不够吗 有了一本圣经就能改变世界么 改革开放20年能有这样的成绩你还有什么不满足的 是吧


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Egypt: Bird Flu?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger Zeinobia wonders if her country will be effected by bird flu this summer.


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Egypt: Freedom House Report · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The annual Freedom House report on Egypt is out, writes Ibn Al Dunya, who adds: “I was most fascinated by their brief historical outline, and must confess that i had trouble in galvanizing strength to read on.”


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Europe: Roma People in Italy · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At A Fistful of Euros, a discussion of the situation with the Roma people in Italy, inspired by this piece from the Guardian's Comment is Free (229 comments).

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Hungary: Tipping; Underground Railway Museum · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hudin writes on “how tipping works in Budapest” and posts a note about the city's Underground Railway Museum.


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Iran: A disabled man talks about blogging · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Radio Zamaneh [Fa] has an interesting interview with a disabled man who discovered blogging. He discusses how blogging made him feel less isolated and opened him up to a whole new world. As a result of this experience, he has set up all sorts of others in Iran with their own blogs.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: A man with a mission? · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Jomhour, Iran based blogger has published several photos of Hooshang Amirahmadi, the founder and president of American-Iranian Council, in a hotel in Tehran. Many believe he came to Iran with a mission: to encourage Iranian politicians to start negotiation with Americans.


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Iran: Two student leaders were arrested · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to[Fa] Sedaye paye baroon,an Iranian blog, Bahareh Hedayat and Mohmmad Hashemi, two leaders of Tahkim Vahdat, a student association, were arrested on Sunday. The blogger adds nobody knows why it happened.


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Iran:Jahan News site was filtered · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Several Iranian blogs and sites reported that Iran based Jahannews (means world news) site was filtered last week after it published a letter, written by an Iranian parliament member, criticizing Saeed Mortazavi, Tehran's chief prosecutor. The main issue in this letter was about corruption in one of Iranian universities.


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Jamaica: Conference Call  · Global Voices
Skye Hernandez

Active Voice gives an insightful report on a number of note-worthy academic gatherings, including the conference held in honour of the eminent Jamaican-born sociologist and poet MG Smith.

author: Skye Hernandez


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Jamaica: Press Freedom · Global Voices
Skye Hernandez

Jamaican blogger Diatribalist uses news clips showing an ugly interaction at a council meeting to illustrate how the media self-censors itself.


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Japan: Door of the Year · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The englishman shows some photos on the nominations for the Japan's Door of the Year award.


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Kazakhstan: Any Chance for Democratization? · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Adam reflects on the political developments in Kazakhstan in light of its future OSCE chairmanship.


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MENA: Reactions to the Mediterranean Summit · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

French President Nicolas Sarkozy joined leaders from more than 40 countries on Sunday for the inauguration of the new Union for the Mediterranean.  The union, nicknamed “Club Med,” has the lofty goal of solidifying relations between southern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans, and will be co-chaired by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Sarkozy himself.
Every invited country was represented, with the notable exception of Libya, whose de facto leader Muammar Qaddafi, refused to attend.  Libyan blogger Anglo-Libyan expressed frustration:
Yet again the Libyan rulers prove they have no respect for their own people, for many years Libya has been portraying itself to the outside world as Jamahereya, which means something like the nation or land that is ruled by the masses i.e. Libyan people! yet in reality we all know that the country is ruled by one family and its followers.
The blogger explained Libya's absence from the summit and concluded:
Europe might not be perfect but it is for sure a better choice for Libya if life there is to improve for everyone, what can Libya loose from such a union? at the end of the day they can opt out if it is not for them.
I am sure Libyan people are just about sick of all that nonsense they keep hearing about why Libya can not become a part of the developed world.
God bless Libya and its people….
The attendance by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, on the other hand, was a pleasant development for many.  On Saturday, al-Assad confirmed that Syria and Lebanon intend to establish embassies in each other's capitals, normalizing relations between the neighbor countries.  Syrian blogger sasa explained the significance of this development:
Syria said it would open an embassy in Beirut when a friendly government is formed. That happened yesterday, and so Syria has come good on its promise.
But why does all this matter? When Lebanon was carved out of western Syria, and the two countries gained independence, Syria refused to recognise Lebanon as an independent entity. As Hafez Al-Assad said, one country, two governments. Syria retained its territorial claim on Lebanon until Bashar came into power.
Rime Allaf, referring to the French media's treatment of Syria, remarked:
As usual, not only has the subject been totally ignored by Syrian media, government and embassies (what a shock, I know), but most of them aren't even apparently aware that an anti-Syrian campaign is taking place in France. Isn't it time to put a stop to this, and to give Syria equal rights and equal duties to the others? And isn't it time Syria's position was explained by Syrians, and its image drawn by something other than Lebanese, Israeli or American paintbrushes?
Also from Syria, On Olives & Sake acknowledged the significance of the event but wondered what his country's leader was thinking as he headed to Paris:
On the other hand, as beautiful and elegant our First Gentleman and First Lady look together as they walk down that red carpet, I can’t help wondering whether people like Michel Kilo, Anwar al-Bunni or Aref Dalileh even cross their minds as they smile and shake hands. As they walk triumphantly through the streets of Paris, what kind of a country do they think of, that country that they left behind. What do they think of that? The poverty, the corruption, the pollution, the monopolies, and the stagnant social, educational, political and cultural life. What about Seydnaya?
Nearly as significant as President al-Assad's attendance at the summit was the notable absence of King Mohammed VI of Morocco, who sent his brother, Prince Moulay Rachid in his place.  Although the King had a prior engagement, the press speculated that the King's aim was to avoid Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
Western Sahara Info. believes that the King's decision not to attend is justifiable:
After considerable coaxing, President Bouteflika of Algeria decided to go, while King Mohammed VI of Morocco sent his brother carrying some lame excuse. Some Moroccans are annoyed, but in all frankness, in this case, the Sarkozy government's slobbering over Bouteflika, contrasted with the shrug that accompanied M6's absence, probably had less to do with any preference for Algeria, or even for its gas/oil millions, than with the fact that Morocco has been cooperative all along, whereas Bouteflika threatened to try and undermine the summit by being absent as a point of principle — therefore, he was needed, while the king could send a representative instead, and no one would mind.
the a la menthe doesn't think the summit will have an effect on Algerian-Moroccan relations:
I hardly think warmer relations between Algeria and Morocco are imminent, particularly in light of the parlous state of the Algerian government, but I guess Sarkozy gets points for trying.
General opinion on the summit seemed to vary, though much of the blogosphere found some fault in it.  Some bloggers, including Egyptian ramsesthesecond were less than impressed:
In his speech, Mr Mubarak, seemed very optimistic by the idea of the union, its aims and expected results… indeed his speech would be a dream come true if the things he said were done..
Common Projects, investments, progress, development and even cultural co operation, which is a strange idea from the man who refuses to establish normal relationship with Israel after more than 30 years of peace!
The blogger did acknowledge Sarkozy's role in bringing Syria and Israel into the same room, however:
Indeed it is a big victory for the French president to be the first man to get both Syrian president and Israel's prime minister below one roof for a common idea of development…
Tunisian blogger Stupeur!!  Un Nouveau Départ!!! [fr] is displeased with the idea:
Alors bénite soit cette union. Union POUR la méditerranée vous avez dit ? Merci, ne vous unissez pas pour moi ni à mon nom. Je vous aurais pourtant prévenu.
Finally, from Tunisia, blogger Kissa-Online قصة اون لاين  [fr] disagrees with the union, making a rather poetic point:
Je ne veux pas de votre union car elle est à sens unique :
Liberté totale pour vos capitaux
Les barques de la mort pour mes frères et sœurs.
Creative Commons-licensed photo by whodisan215

author: Jillian C. York


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Moldova: Fear of “Colored Revolutions” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Scraps of Moscow writes about “a rather over-the-top attack on two democracy-promoting NGOs operating in Moldova,” delivered by the country's largest-circulation newspaper.


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Moldova: Transnistria’s New Foreign Minister · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Scraps of Moscow writes about Transnistria's new de facto foreign minister.


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Mongolia: National TV Censured for Political Bias · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Tom Terry informs the readers that the Mongolian National Television (MNTV) was censured by the Permanent Committee of Legislation in Parliament for it's failure to ensure journalistic independence during the riots and subsequent State of Emergency declared by the President.


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Mongolia: Post-Electoral Explosion · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust highlights the challenges Mongolia faces in its latest round of elections.


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Mongolia, Russia: Coverage of Unrest · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Scraps of Moscow writes about the coverage of the recent unrest in Mongolia in the Russian press – here and here.


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Morocco: Abbas Fourak · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

cinema and movies shares information about Moroccan film director Abbas Fourak.


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Morocco: Fashion Island · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Myrtus discusses fashion in the Middle East and tells us about Isla Moda (Fashion Island), a new fashion-conscious community in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.


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Paraguay: Perfect Weather at the Expo Fair · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Muna Annahas is in Asunción Paraguay enjoying the “perfect weather” and a visit to the Expo.  She describes the scene from the food stands to promotional booths.


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Paraguay: Three Young Thieves Spending Their Bounty · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Mike Silvero of San Ánimo de Ofender [es] recounts an eye-opening experience with three young thieves that had just returned from stealing at a local shopping center and spent the money on some delicious empanadas, which attracted suprise attention from the waitress and other onlookers.


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Saudi Arabia: Pious Wife Beating  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Cairo, Tom Gara posts a video [Ar] featuring a Saudi clergyman preaching on how to discipline wives. He adds: “This clip of a Saudi cleric explaining how to properly beat your wife is pure poetry – you couldn't make more perfect anti-Saudi propaganda if you tried.”


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South Korea: Why do Expats in Korea Complain So Much? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ask A Korean! explains to Roboseyo on “Why do expats in Korea complain so much?”


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St Vincent & The Grenadines: Bollywood Magic · Global Voices
Skye Hernandez

From St Vincent and the Grenadines, Lullabies, Fairy Tales and Other Self Delusions sees Jane Austen through an Indian film director's eyes—that's when he begins to realise he can't resist the attraction of Bollywood movies.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Internet Connection · Global Voices
Skye Hernandez

Trinidadian blogger Four Fingers and a Thumb 2.0 learns a few things about music, and discovers there's a lot she still doesn't know about her mother.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Polluted Olympics · Global Voices
Skye Hernandez

Looking ahead to the Olympics next month, Trinidad's Life from a caffeine hyped point of view says pollution is a sobering reality of these Games. Seeing photos of pollution, she says “makes you almost wish that Beijing was still The Forbidden City, and one cannot help but be saddened by what has taken place in the name of progress.”


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Uzbekistan: Bukhara · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Silk Polyester Blend reports on his trip to Bukhara, one of the most ancient and beautiful towns of Uzbekistan.


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Western Sahara: Poetry and Spanish – The Permanent Links · Global Voices
Renata Avila

For some cultures, it is food, for others it is music, and many cultures show their character in their architecture. For Western Sahara, one of their cultural characteristics is the oral tradition, and poetry is meaningful for Sahrawis.  This literature becomes a large part of their lives. According to Atrapadordesueños:
Si de repente se le preguntase a un saharaui de poesía lo más seguro es que a su mente no acudirá ni el título de un libro de versos ni el título de un poema. Sin embargo es muy probable que pueda citar los nombres de los poetas más conocidos e incluso podría recitar varios versos de memoria. Y es que la poesía tradicional saharaui en hassania, lengua de los saharauis, sigue siendo oral, a pesar de que en los últimos años se haya intentado escribir y archivar y así evitar que algún día desaparezca con sus propios autores. Durante el colonialismo España se mantuvo al margen, sin importarle la poesía, y de forma general sin preocuparse por la cultura saharaui. La poesía, ajena a cualquier influencia externa, continuó su viaje en su tradicional vehículo, es decir, de boca en boca y anidando en la prodigiosa memoria de vates, cantores y de los amantes de la poesía.
If you suddenly ask a Sahrawi about poetry, he or she may not be able to tell you the title of a book or the title of a poem. But it is highly possible that he or she can tell you the names of several well-known poets and even recite memorized verses. And it is because traditional poetry in Hassania, the Western Saharan language still remains oral, even with recent attempts to write and document it, in order to avoid its disappearance someday, when their authors pass away.  During Spanish colonial rule, it remained marginalized.  People were not concerned about Sahrawi poetry or culture.  The poetry, isolated from any external influence, kept its traditional way of being passed along by word of mouth through the memory of the poet, singers and lovers of poetry.
Sometimes poetry is combined with music as a family tradition, explains Sahrawi blogger, Aziza Brahim, who is a famous singer. She writes about her connection with her famous grandmother, a Sahrawi poet, living in the refugee camps –  Ljadra Mint Mabruk:
Para mí, lo que nunca cambiará, es tomar el té en casa de mi abuela, Ljadra. Siempre compartimos mucho tiempo juntas, desde que era pequeña. Hablamos, le peino, compartimos intimidades, puesto que es mi confidente y mi inspiración. Mi música bebe de la poesía de mi abuela, es natural. Muchas veces empiezo a cantarle, y ella empieza a recitar, y también viceversa.
Ariadna links to seven Sahrawi poets who fuse two languages, since Spanish is the second most important language of the region. However the Cervantes Institute, which is devoted to the study and teaching of the Spanish language has  constantly denied support to them [es], as blogger Haz Lo Que Debas [es] points out:
¿No es más urgente el apoyo a un niño sarahaui, que aprende el español en la escuela, con muchas dificultades, que la instalación de sedes del Cervantes en Pekín, San Petersburgo… o la Quinta Avenida de Nueva York?
The blogger continues that this is important because there is also Sahrawi literature in Spanish [es]:
La literatura saharaui en español, incipiente aún, camina sin embargo con paso firme. Una literatura poco atendida por los medios y desconocida por el gran público. También olvidada por las instituciones españolas, caso del Instituto Cervantes o Casa Arabe, que no se interesan por la cultura de este pueblo árabe africano que también se expresa en español, y que un día formó parte de España. Al menos la ayuda de escritores, universidades y asociaciones solidarias con el pueblo saharaui está consiguiendo romper este otro bloqueo contra un pueblo que lucha pacíficamente por su libertad, que “pide la paz y la palabra” para recuperar la tierra que injustamente le arrebataron. Es un libro modesto y sencillo. “No es un bello producto.”
Three years ago, a group of Sahrawi poets and writers got together to establish Generación de la Amistad Saharaui (Generation of the Friends of Sahrawis):
Ocurrió un 9 de julio, muy caluroso, en el centro de Madrid. Un grupo de poetas saharauis venidos de diferentes puntos de la geografía española, apoyados por varios escritores e intelectuales españoles, iniciaban una andadura que empezaba entonces a dar sus primeros frutos y que hoy se apoya en más de una decena de libros publicados. Otros compañeros se unían desde los campamentos de refugiados saharauis al nacimiento de este “humilde sueño” que, tres años después, no ha dejado de ser humilde pero es ya una realidad.
Poetry is a language too, and the Sahrawis are expressing themselves, preserving their history and culture by building bridges in Spanish.

author: Renata Avila


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Angola: The 16 year Parliament legislature finishes today · Global Voices
Paula Góes

“In 1992 the Angolans went for the first to the polls. No one imagined that Parliament which resulted of those elections would have a 16 year legislature, the longest of the continent.” JotaCê Carranca [pt] explains the numerous reasons for this prolonged period in power, and says that this legislature officially finishes today. The population will elect on September 5 the next Parliament which starts on October 15.


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Armenia: Meet The Kardashians · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Blogian posts the text of an email that laments the fact that many Americans are beginning to associate ethnic Armenians in the U.S. with socialite and sex tape celebrity Kim Kardashian.


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Armenia: Relations With Turkey · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Armenian Observer comments on new moves to promote dialogue with Turkey. The two countries have no diplomatic relations and the border remains closed. However, the blog notes that the response inside Armenia to moves to promote reconciliation between the two neighbors is disappointing.


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Balkans, U.S.: Goran Bregovic in NYC · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Veni Markovksi posts pictures and writes at length about Goran Bregovic and his Wedding and Funeral Orchestra's concerts in New York City.


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Barbados, U.S.A.: Controversial Cartoon · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbadian blogger Cheese-on-bread! comments on the controversial cover of The New Yorker: “Some people are really scared Obama is going to be the 43rd President of the United States…”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bhutan: Making money · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Freedom in Bhutan on the lack of transparency in governance and how politicians make money.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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CEE: World’s Youngest Leaders List · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Veni Markovski writes about CEE individuals who've made it on the World’s 10 Youngest Leaders list of the Foreign Affairs Magazine: Bulgarian PM Sergei Stanishev, Macedonian PM Nikola Gruevski, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.


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China: Chinese officials engage netizens · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Buxi from Fool's mountain translates a news story from China Youth Daily on how Chinese officials get online and engage netizens.


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China: Gender Relation · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Maryannodonnell writes some interesting notes on gender relation in Shenzhen.


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China: Locking down IDC server rooms for the Olympics · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Have you been to Beijing lately? For those making their first trip for the Olympics, there's lots that's going to impress. What you won't see, however, is just as telling.


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China: Pass on the temporary residence permit · Global Voices
John Kennedy

As reported on Danwei earlier, Beijing residents have been told to renew their (or start getting) temporary residence permits before the Olympics. ‘I pay my taxes,’ writes Bullog blogger Alading512, ‘and I have the freedom to not support the Olympics, so why should I fork out this 5 yuan fee?’


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China: Reflection on Human Value · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Hu Yong posted an interview with Qian Gang, the writer of Tangshan Earthquake, about the recent Sichuan earthquake. The writer pointed out that after 32 years of the Tangshan earthquake, Chinese society is yet to reflect upon the value of “Human”.


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Costa Rica: Academic Report on Blogs · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Cristian Cambronero of Fusil de Chispas [es] links to an academic investigative report regarding Costa Rican blogs and developed by professor Ignacio Siles.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Dominica: Local Food Alternatives · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Danielle Edwards, guest blogging at Dominican Weekly, says that “we should all make the effort to resist rising food prices by being more innovative with our meals.”


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D.R. of Congo: Dysfunctional Justice · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

More than a year after his colleague at the Radio Okapi Serge Maheshe was murdered, Cédric Kalonji [Fr] says that one of the alleged perpetrators fled the prison in Bukavu. “Justice, the pillar of the State's authority which is the very foundation of democracy, is not working in the Congo”, he writes. And he wonders “when are we going to have, and go is going to restore an efficient and independent judicial system in this country?”

author: Elia Varela Serra


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East Timor: Teachers protest and get a pay rise · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Moriae [pt] celebrates the local teachers’ victory after a manifestation over pay rise in East Timor. They used to be paid less than Portuguese teachers working in the country.


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Egypt: Interview with Marei  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Egypt, Ibn Al Dunya writes about an interview with Muhammed Marei, who was detained for 90 days – for working as an interpreter for American photojournalist James Buck.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Egypt: Why Blog?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger MonTexo [Ar] asks his readers about the reason why they blog.


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Guyana: Summer Time? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Guyana-Gyal notices some strange weather patterns at work in her neck of the woods…


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Iran:Front Page of 50 Banned Journals · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

In Gavras, an Iranian blog, we can discover the front page of more than 50 journals and magazines that have been banned and shutdown in recent years in Iran.


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Japan and South Korea: Dokdo · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Matt from Gusts of popular feelings blogs on the reaction on the territorial debate between Japan and South Korea over Dokdo.


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Jordan: RIP Olive Riley  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian Naseem Tarawnah mourns the death of the world's oldest blogger, Australian Olive Riley, who died at the age 108, and says: “for some reason, I feel a strange sense of affinity.”


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Kuwait: Prayer Comment  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Kuwaiti Frankom posts two pictures of people praying under the title ‘No Comment.’


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Lebanon: Glitzy Wedding  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Lebanese Beirut Spring posts photographs from the wedding of Lebanese President Sleiman daughter's wedding and notes: “It’s good for a change to see all our politicians celebrating together in a glitzy environment.”


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Mali: 21st Century Slavery  · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Sociolingo's Africa quotes two recent articles that “show that slavery still goes on today” in northern Mali and that it is a very complex issue in the country as many people deny its existence.


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Nepal: Political intrigue · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Nepali Netbook sums up the political events of the last few weeks in the country – as ‘wackiest’ ever in Nepali politics.


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Nicaragua: Real and Hypothetical Twitter Updates About Politicians · Global Voices
GV Contributor

From the Twitter account of the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon:
Meeting Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann of Nicaragua, President-elect of the 63rd session of the General Assembly
Thanks to Twitter now we know when Ban Ki-Moon meet the Nicaraguan ambassador, Miguel d'Escoto, who is a US born priest who was into the Liberation Theology movement in Latin America and secretly became a Sandinista Ally during the 70's. He was named foreign minister for Nicaragua during the 80's. He was recently elected to be President of the General Assembly of the United Nations for 1 year, starting this September. He said shortly after being elected, according to Wikipedia:
“I hope my presidency will address what has become a universal clamor all over the world for the democratization of the United Nations. I promise to give full support to the working group on the revitalization of the General Assembly.”
It is funny to see how Nicaraguans found out about this meeting… via twitter!  The Nicaraguan Twitter community, Twittnic [es] commented on this interesting piece of information and wondered what other similar political figures might use this popular tool:
Ya ven pues, Naciones Unidas usa Twitter. Como sería el twitter de nuestro presidente? o de nuestros diputados???
@danielortega: Going to see Mr. Chavez
@arnoldoaleman: TWITTER POLL a donde voy a cenar hoy?
@eduardomontealegre: si me hechan preso hechan presa a Nicaragua
@ElCheleGrisby: @eduardomontealegre VOS SI QUE SOS UN SINVERGUENZA!
Now you see, the United Nations uses Twitter.  What would our president's Twitter be like? Or our lawmakers???
@danielortega:Going to see Mr. Chavez
@arnoloaleman: TWITTER POLL: where should I eat today? (in reference to protestors’ recent visit)
@eduardomontealegre: if they jail me they  jail Nicaragua
@ElCheleGrisby: @eduardomontealegre YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE ANY SHAME! (ElCheleGrisby is William Grisby, radio commentator from Sin Fronteras, Radio La primerisima, highly critical of right and left wing politicians in Nicaragua)

author: GV Contributor


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Pakistan: Politics in Dubai · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

All Things Pakistan wonders if Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is the new political centre for Pakistan.


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Pakistan: Public sector employment · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Five Rupees on the government's ban on public sector employment in Pakistan.


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Peru: The Legacy of Augusto Leguia · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Gian Carlo Orbezo of Peru Politico [es] writes about Augusto B. Leguia, president of Peru from 1919 to 1930 and his sad end as a dictator, and the relationship to Alberto Fujimori who is now facing trials of his own.

author: Juan Arellano


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Russia: One Year Sentence for Blog Comment · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

On July 7, Savva Terentyev, 22, a Russian blogger and musician from Syktyvkar, received a one-year suspended jail sentence for a comment (RUS) he posted on Feb. 15, 2007, on the blog of a local journalist Boris Suranov.
Here is a rough translation of the comment:
I hate cops [menty], [swear word omitted]
I don't agree with the thesis that “policemen still have the mentality of a repressive stick in the hands of the powers that be.” First, they are cops [menty, not militsionery, a less respectful way to refer to police]. Second, their mentality isn't still here. It's simply ineradicable. Once a musor [a synonym for ment; non-slang meaning of the word is “trash”], always a musor, even in Africa. Those who become cops [menty] – rednecks and thugs – are the dumbest and least educated representatives of the live/animal world. Would be great if there was an oven, similar to those in Auschwitz, in the center of every Russian city, at the main square (in Syktyvkar, right in the center of Stefanovskaya, where the New Year's tree stands, so that everyone could see), and there'd be a daily ceremony – or, even better, twice a day (at noon and midnight, for example) – of burning a dishonest cop [ment] there. The people would be doing the burning. This would be the first step towards cleansing the society of the dirt that the thuggish cops are.
The court found Terentyev guilty of inciting enmity and publicly humiliating representatives of a social group (Article 282, part 1 of the Russian Federation's Criminal Code).
Here is a rough translation of a tiny part of the 12-page “guilty” verdict (RUS), posted by one of the defense witnesses, LJ user mezak, on his blog (the original of the passage below is on p. 11; the post also has photos of Terentyev, his defense team, and the judge reading the verdict; there are 376 comments to the post so far):
[…] Defendant Terentyev S.S. [Savva Sergeyevich], by means of the language, by having a negative impact on the public opinion and mood, and by aiming to incite social enmity and hatred, to escalate social conflict, to sharpen social contradictions, to awaken base instincts in people, contrasted the people and police officers, calling to [their] physical annihilation by the people. The text does not allow for ambiguous understanding and interpretation of [its] content and meaning, because it should be understandable to any average native speaker of Russian who has basic oral and written language skills. […]
LJ user sholademi re-posted the verdict on his blog and added this note (RUS) at the end of his entry:
Hmm, it has to be noted that the court's verdict contains many orthographic mistakes. This, in addition to the legal side of the case (namely, the questionable linguistic analysis). In short, it's getting crazier and crazier.
In another post, LJ user sholademi posted a 5-question survey (RUS), explaining that Terentyev's defense team was planning to appeal the blogger's sentence and, among other things, would like to “find out how Savva Terentyev's case is going to affect the discussion environment in the Russian blogosphere.” Below are the survey's results so far:
1. Before Savva Terentyev's case, were there many LJ bloggers who allowed themselves to speak harshly of law enforcement and other state institutions and officials?
a. Many bloggers made such statements – 842 (75.4%)
b. Only some bloggers made such statements – 233 (20.9%)
c. I've never encountered such statements on blogs – 41 (3.7%)
2. Before the verdict on Savva Terentyev's case, how often did you encounter harsh statements about law enforcement and other state institutions and officials on your friends feed?
а. Such statements were pretty frequent on my friends feed – 664 (59.7%)
b. Such statements were pretty rare on my friends feed – 347 (31.2%)
c. Such statements were never present on my friends feed – 102 (9.2%)
3. If the verdict on Savva Terentyev's case comes into force, how will it affect the number of bloggers who would allow themselves to make harsh statements about law enforcement and other state institutions and officials in open posts and comments?
a. Their numbers will grow significantly – 193 (17.4%)
b. Their numbers will grow, but not significantly – 239 (21.6%)
c. Their numbers will decrease, but not significantly – 550 (49.6%)
d. Their numbers will decrease significantly – 126 (11.4%)
4. If the verdict on Savva Terentyev's case comes into force, how will it affect the number of bloggers who would allow themselves to make harsh statements about law enforcement and other state institutions and officials in locked (friends-only) posts?
a. Their numbers will grow significantly – 386 (34.9%)
b. Their numbers will grow, but not significantly – 470 (42.5%)
c. Their numbers will decrease, but not significantly – 219 (19.8%)
d. Their numbers will decrease significantly – 31 (2.8%)
5. Do you consider Savva Terentyev's sentence fair?
a. I consider it fair – 73 (6.5%)
b. I consider it unfair, as it is too soft – 12 (1.1%)
c. I consider it unfair, as it is too harsh – 71 (6.3%)
d. I consider it unfair in principle, because, in my opinion, Savva did not commit a crime – 963 (86.1%)
On July 14, Savva Terentyev and his lawyer held a press conference in Moscow (see photo of Terentyev at LJ user mezak‘s blog). LJ user dolboeb – Anton Nossik, the self-described “Social Media Evangelist at SUP,” the online media company that owns LiveJournal.com – announced the event on his blog and added this note (RUS) at the end of his post:
[…] Each month, 10-12 million comments appear in the Cyrillic LJ (10.5 million in June, 130.5 million in the past 12 months). On the average, every post gets 3.7 comments. [The police unit that initiated Savva Terentyev's case] has plenty of work ahead (unless, of course, they've got nothing else to busy themselves with).
At the press conference, LJ user dolboeb reiterated his point (RUS, link to an article in Novaya Gazeta, the newspaper for which Anna Politkovskaya used to write):
[…] Of course, spending 15 minutes on the web and finding a criminal is a lot more convenient than running around the dark, narrow streets with a gun. As a taxpayer, I'm not satisfied with this situation. […]


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Rwanda: Customized Taxi-Bicycles · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Afrigadget posted a video-interview that Eric Kabera (the maker of the genocide film “100 days” and inventor of Hillywood – Rwanda’s version of Hollywood) had with a young bycicle-taxi driver in Rwanda that customized his vehicle to attract more customers, showing that “not all inventiveness is utilitarian (or, business can be fun and fun can mean more business…)”.


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Saudi Arabia: No Need for Doctors  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudi Jeans comments on an article by a senior Saudi cleric arguing for less health and more religious studies programmes at universities.


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South Korea: Tracking Foreign Student · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Following U.S government's practice, the South Korean government started to track international students — more from Korea Beat.


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Syria: Too Young for Marriage  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Syria, Allosh [Ar] comments on under-age marriages – saying that 18 is too young an age to tie the knot.


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UAE: Sex on Jumeirah Beach  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jazarah writes: “Jumeirah Beach in Dubai witnessed two recent incidents where expats caught while they were engaged in sexual intercourse with tourists in public, alcohols were the reason in both cases, and of course results were too ugly.”


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Uganda: (No longer) lost in translation · Global Voices
Rebekah Heacock

A little over a year ago, Ugandan blogger Country Boyi wondered why Ugandans weren't blogging in local languages.  He wrote:
The power of indigenous languages to infiltrate the thinking of the local people cannot be underestimated.
[…]Do bloggers, like other writers, have a major stake in the development of writing and reading materials in the local languages, and what is in it for them considering the Ugandan society pays little attention to the written word?
The majority of Ugandan bloggers have yet to write in languages other than English, perhaps because four distinct language families, each with multiple languages, are represented in the country.  Over the last year, however, several of Uganda's blogren have forayed into the world of local-language blogging via Luglish, a blend of English and Luganda.  Luganda is the local language most commonly spoken in central Uganda, including the capital city Kampala.
In one of the first Luglish posts in the Ugandan blogosphere, Tumwijuke of Ugandan Insomniac writes:
Yesterday, I was privy to a series of conversations between three 8 or 9 year olds in my neighbourhood.  As the boys fought and laughed and jostled for position in their small trio, I was struck by how little we change over the years.  How much we are just little boys and girls trying our best to live in this big, big world.
(Please adopt a Luglish – Luganda/English – accent when reading the following dialogue.  If you don’t know what that sounds like … um, sorry move to Uganda for the experience; it’s a beautiful place … sometimes.)
She goes on to transcribe the conversations, italicizing the Luganda portions but not translating them.
For those who haven't yet had the chance to experience Luglish first-hand, several Ugandan bloggers have posted guides.  Seamless‘ 21-part “UGA-SPEAK [A foreigner's guide]” gives tips like:
2. extend- move/push up, create a little space for me
3. ziwereze- pay up!
#2 and #3 are for y'all who won't be using car rentals, or the awe-inspiring boda-bodas but will be trying out our good old taxis.
4. [boda-boda]/bajaj- crazy means of transport via motorbike, which involves clinging on for dear life. Also, the heady rush of speed, a brush with death and wind through your hair.
The blog Fresh Apples reposts a guide to Ugandan English that he found on the Facebook group I love Uganda.  Some choice entries on geography:
Out – anywhere outside of Uganda ie. studying from out
This side – Uganda
That side – The West (North America)
After reading the entry on Fresh Apples, blogger Buttercookie adds:
Push me to the shop.- Accompany me to the shop.
U have taken a long time minus coming. (This one is a classic.) What would the opposite be, U have taken a long time plus coming?- Yeah, I know what u’re thinking. Some people really do say that.
Come and we go.-Let’s go together.
Luglish has also been a popular topic for expat bloggers living in Uganda.  Paige Anderson Bowen notes:
the official language of uganda is english, but it’s not an english an american would necessarily recognize or understand. most languages (all?) spoken in uganda are bantu languages, so the pronunciation of spoken english here often has a heavy bantu inflection and sentences can be delivered in bantu grammar. the “properness” of a ugandan’s english increases with education level and exposure to native english speakers, but the average ugandan speaks a purely (and sometimes maddeningly) ugandanized english that includes:
- “ok, please”: interchangeably used for yes and no
– “i am on my way coming”: estimated time of arrival anywhere from 5 min to 2 hrs to never
– up/down instead of left/right when giving directions
In another post on the same blog, Paige's husband Phil links to the Wikipedia entry for Ugandan English. And the Uganda wiki, an online encyclopedia on Uganda, also has an entry on the same subject.
Finally, taking the posts on cross-cultural conversation one step further, blogger Chris Mason gives his readers a lesson in Ugandan non-verbal communication:
Boda-boda [Ed.: motorcycle taxi] driver: Raises his eyebrows while making eye contact with me.
Translation: “Would you care for a lift to your desired destination, sir?”
Chris: Raises eyebrows while making eye contact with boda-boda driver.
Translation: “That would be splendid.”
Chris, uttering the only words that would appear in this exchange: “Garden City”
Translation: “I am heading to Garden City. Let us now embark on a pleasant back-and-forth negotiation of this trip.”

author: Rebekah Heacock


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Ukraine: Kryvorizhstal · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukrainiana writes on whether Arcelor Mittal Steel's Kryvorizhstal is to change hands again.


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Ukraine, Russia: Yushchenko and Litvinenko · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Taras Kuzio believes that “the connections between the Yushchenko’s poisoning and Litvinenko’s murder are closer than at first seems.”


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Venezuela: The Tradition of the Dancing Devils of Yare · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

Photo by JCox and used under a Creative Commons license.
The Dancing Devils of Yare, a pagan-Christian celebration in Venezuela that takes place nine Thursdays after Holy Thursday, and is a very typical artistic and cultural expression of the region. To understand better what it is all about, in this Wikipedia article Dancing Devils of Yare, there are good explanations and links to journalistic works from some newspapers:
The Dancing Devils of Yare (Diablos Danzantes del Yare) is the name of a religious festivity celebrated in San Francisco de Yare, Miranda state, Venezuela, at the Corpus Christi day. The Sociedades del Santísimo (Societies of the Holiest) are in charge of the celebration. Its origins are traced back to the 18th century, being the oldest brotherhood of the American continent.
Every Corpus Christi (nine Thursdays after Holy Thursday), a ritual dance is performed by the so called “Dancing Devils”, who wear colorful garments (commonly all red), layers of stripped fabric, masks of grotesque appearance and also accessories like crosses, scapulars, rosaries and other sorts of amulets.
The fraternity of the devils is divided in hierarchical order, represented in their masks.
There are other expressions of this particular festivity named according to the location, such as the Devils of Naiguatá and the Devils of Chuao.
The blog Talento Venezolano [es] provides some additional background on the tradition :
Los “Diablos Danzantes de Yare” es, sin duda, un orgullo mirandino para toda Venezuela(…)  Su origen nos viene desde la colonia y su verdadero nacimiento gira en torno a decenas de versiones. Lo importante es que los “diablos” hacen su devoción o promesa por razones de salud o por tradición. Se puede danzar por un tiempo determinado o por vida, una vez entrado en el “clan” el incumplimiento acarrea severas sanciones.
The dancing devils of Yare are, without a doubt, a source of pride from Miranda for all of Venezuela (…) Their origin comes from the times of the Spanish colonization and their true beginning is based on dozens of theories. The most important is that the “devils” make their devotion or promises for their health, or for tradition. It is possible to dance for a while or for a lifetime; once you are inside the clan, if you don’t comply, there could be severe sanctions.
Las Cosas de Rosa [es] adds details of the costumes worn by the dancers:
La fraternidad de Diablos de este pequeño pueblo colonial es la más vieja del continente americano y tal vez la más organizada. Camisa, pantalón y medias rojas, máscara y alpargatas, es el vestuario de Diablo. Llevan una cruz de palma bendita, el rosario y la medalla del Santísimo, que por ser difícil de conseguir se sustituye por otra medalla de una imagen religiosa cristiana. Llevan en una mano una maraca en forma de diablo y en la otra un látigo.
The fraternity of the devils in this small colonial town is the oldest on the American continent and maybe, the most organized. The Devils’ wardrobe are red shirts, pants and socks, and sandals. They also use a blessed cross in their hand, a rosary and the medal of the Holy Spirit, as it is difficult to substitute another medal of a religious Christian image. They also carry a maraca in the shape of a devil in one hand and a whip in the other hand.
You can also see a video [es]  that provides images of the tradition, and Hector Rattia provides testimonies through his pictures on his Flickr account.  There is also an excellent photo essay site at Behind the Mask.

author: Laura Vidal


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Transnistria: Voices of Tiraspol · Global Voices
Lyndon

Movie theater, downtown Tiraspol, originally uploaded by lyndonk2
In recent years, it seems like a solution to Moldova's long-unresolved secessionist conflict is always being forecast but never quite materializes. Meanwhile, the people who live in the unrecognized Transnistrian Moldovan Republic (a.k.a. the PMR, Transnistria, Transdniester, Pridnestrovie, etc.), a little strip of land that's been trying to secede from Moldova since the breakup of the USSR, just try to get by.
It seems that at least a couple of the territory's netizens are unhappy with some of the initiatives of their de facto government.  Here are my translations of a couple of recent posts to ocity, a Russian-language LiveJournal community set up by residents of Tiraspol, Transdniester's capital (which also exists outside of LJ):
Demand and complaint addressed to Evgeny Shevchuk, Chairman of the “Renewal” (Obnovlenie) party (posted by LJ user 06_07_1970)
Dear Evgeny Vasil'evich!
We woke up this morning and left our apartments intending to head to the cemetery and honor our dearly departed.
In the entryway of the building where we live, we found a huge quantity of “Renewal” party newspapers – they are strewn on the landing on every floor, in the stairwells, in people's mailboxes (several copies of this spam in each mailbox), and in the elevator.  Part of the area in front of the building is already besmirched with your party's newspapers – some of the building's residents have tossed them out of the stairwell.
It should be noted that this is not the first time when the entryway of our residential building has been littered with such trash.
Based on these facts, I request that you organize the cleanup of the stairwells of the building at Zapadnyi Per. 19/1 in Tiraspol as soon as possible.
Otherwise, we will have to go to court with a complaint against the Renewal party and against you personally as the director of that organization.
With respect,
Residents of the besmirched [засранного] building
This complaint was also posted on a more traditional online forum, where it has generated some 25 comments. On LiveJournal, it generated the following comment by LJ user verba77:
They say our government is impoverished, but think how much money was spent on this garbage. Our authorities don't do anything useful for the people, instead they rub in the people's faces what good rulers we have.
I should note, in fairness to Obnovlenie and Shevchuk, that it's not unheard of for political parties in the post-Soviet space (and probably elsewhere) to engage in the “dirty trick” of placing their opponents’ materials in locations designed to annoy voters. I seem to recall that one example of such “black PR” involved party A sticking party B's stickers on cars parked on the street. In this case, though, if I had to guess, I'd say the offending newspapers were probably left by overzealous “Obnovlentsy.”
Here's another assessment of the local government by a regular commenter at the ocity forum:
Defense of human rights, Transnistrian-style (posted by LJ user verba77, whose blog is subtitled “life with a ‘special’ child in a ‘special’ country”)
Two years ago, on June 7, 2006, Pridnestrovie first appointed a representative on human rights issues. A 10-room office was set up and luxuriously renovated to European standards. Dozens of new computers and other office equipment was purchased, excellent furniture, air conditioners, etc.  There are plans to open branch offices of the human rights representative in other cities in Transdniester.
Interruptions in – and later complete denial of – the government's supply of essential medication to disabled children began around the same time.
Is it possible that the funds which had previously been devoted to saving the lives of disabled children are now going toward the human rights representative's office?
From my conversation with Transnistria's human rights representative V. Kol'ko last week:
- Does the non-issue of medications which are legally provided for to disabled children constitute a violation of human rights?
– Yes, of course, but what can I do about it?
– What do you mean, what, you are the human rights representative.  Can you defend the rights of a sick child?
– There isn't any money in the budget for those medications, our government is very poor.
– Then why does the government have money for such luxurious facilities for a human rights office which is unable to protect human rights?
– What, it's my fault that the Supreme Soviet decided to create this office?
I might also suggest that our rulers do away with pensions and use the money saved to create an office of the representative of pensioners’ rights.  Or they could close the hospitals and open an office of the representative for the rights of sick people.
In the comments, verba77 explains that his family pays for a couple of more expensive medications, but is trying to get the government to pay for one cheaper item prescribed for their child, which is included in the official list of medications the government is supposed to provide:
This has become a matter of principle, because those animals are buying themselves expensive official cars, building lordly estates, and renovating their offices to European standards, using the money of the Transnistrians who break their backs working for them, but they refuse to comply with the law guaranteeing medication to sick children. But they spit on my requests and on all of us put together. The animals have made it to the trough.
***
And on a more humorous note, here's a comment from the same forum titled “[Customer] Service” (posted by LJ user sasha_ethna):
Tiraspol’. The train station. We get on the number 3 minibus, hoping to get to Balka.
…I was already handing the driver my fare when a one-lady orchestra came up to the minibus. She had a guitar on her shoulder, fancy luggage and several musical instruments.  She tossed her first bag into the minibus and was getting ready to toss in the second, when the driver spat out “I'M NOT GOING TO BALKA!”
All of the passengers were baffled, the one-lady orchestra quickly retrieved her bags, and many people prepared to get off the minibus.
“But we all want to go to Balka!” said a few people.
“Everything's OK – that's where we're going. I just wanted to avoid all of that baggage,” said the driver, revealing the logic behind his trick.

author: Lyndon