text:
Africa: African Wildlife in photos · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Photos of African wildlife: “Actually, this week it should be called the ‘Weekly High Eight’ as I had quite a bit of trouble choosing only five images and so I thought I would just add the lot! Nature, and African wildlife specifically, offers us so much visual beauty and having to choose one image over the other when the content is so divers is a very difficult thing.”


text:
Africa: Harubuntu 2008 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Emeka writes about a competition for African creators of hope and wealth: “The tagline of the Harubuntu competition ‘there is value in this place’ signifies its intent to “publicise the ideas of dynamic Africans who are creating important projects which both foster hope and create wealth”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Ndesanjo Macha


text:
Africa: Managing democracy in Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

OCI discusses democracy and politics in Africa: “Managing democracy in Africa is an uphill task and will remain a mirage unless there is a genuine effort by African leaders to go beyond selfishness and dishonesty to make policies that are people oriented; until then Democracy will remain a Mirage in Many African countries not only in Nigeria.


text:
Bahrain: Where’s My Breakfast? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Who cares about oil prices? Sure it’s at $139 at close in NY yesterday, but it’s still cheaper than water. The issue I have is not that, it is the complete absence of Weetabix from the local market. How can one have a decent breakfast if there is no Weetabix?” writes Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Blogger of the Week: Solana Larsen · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

This week's blogger of the week is Solana Larsen, who is celebrating her one-year anniversary as managing editor of Global Voices Online this month.  Solana is a true citizen of the world: she was born in Denmark, raised in Puerto Rico and the US, attended university and graduate school in London (she holds an MA in International Journalism from City University), and currently resides in New York City.  I caught up with Solana this week to ask her a few questions before she gets overloaded with work for the Global Voices Summit!
Your current blog, solanasaurus, dates back to 2006.  When did you first get involved in blogging?
I first started blogging in 2004 or 2005 when I was an editor with openDemocracy.net. We launched a blog called oD Today, which continues today. My favorite blogging adventures for openDemocracy included blogging from the World Social Forum and from the United Nations. But my major epiphany came in June 2005 when we launched a blog called IranScan 1384 about the Iranian presidential election (the one where President Ahmadinejad was elected to everyone's surprise). Some tremendous Iranian bloggers reported daily in English, and there was tons of media interest. It was very gratifying to provide a different media perspective than, “Bush says Iran has nuclear weapons, should the United States invade?” The local political angles were far more thoughtful and interesting.
I started my own blog sort of late in the game. I think my motivation was mainly professional, but I've kept it goofy enough that it still feels personal. It's really nice to have a place to say what I think. I have a second blog in Danish together with my father Dan Larsen called Blogbyblog.dk. We write about internet, media, and technology.
You joined Global Voices in June, 2007.  What drew you to Global Voices?
IranScan used to get linked on Global Voices, which was great. Imagine my thrill when Georgia Popplewell once linked to a post I wrote on Solanasaurus about Cuba. Later that day it showed up quoted on Slate!
Ever since Global Voices started I really wanted to be involved. I can honestly say it was (and is) one of my favorite websites. Personally, I think a lot of the really bad decisions that get made in politics have to do with people being incapable of imagining themselves in the position of people who are different from them. The more we listen, translate, and try to reach understanding, the less people can refuse to care.
When I still worked for openDemocracy, I once emailed Rebecca MacKinnon in 2005 to ask whether Global Voices wanted to help organize a blogging workshop at the World Social Forum in Venezuela. Both Rebecca and David Sasaki (who was Americas Editor at the time), were very helpful in putting me in touch with Venezuelan bloggers. In the end, I sort of ended up going solo. But it meant a lot to have Global Voices as a network to lean on.
What does it feel like working with the entire world every day?
It feels wonderful. I couldn't imagine a more enjoyable job, with more dedicated and exciting people in my email inbox.
You're known amongst GVers as being cool, calm, and collected.  What gets you angry?
Ha, it's nice to be known as cool and calm. It's definitely rare for me to lose my temper, but on the other hand I think I can be pretty stubborn. Of course, I can find plenty of things to curse about in the newspaper every day. The things that anger me are often the ones I end up writing about. I find human injustice very infuriating, and I am driven by an irrationally positive urge to try to help change them.
On the contrary, what excites you as a journalist?
I like to write about politics, activism, and technology.
What is your day-to-day life like?
I'm usually at the computer before I even have coffee. I usually work from home in Brooklyn, but there are several cafés in the neighborhood with free wireless internet that I like to go as well. I send billions of emails every day, and usually have at least one or two meetings a week around the city. I travel a lot between New York and Europe, so it's great to have a job I can take with me. In the evenings, I try to get out of the house and see as many friends as possible.
Tell me about PuertoDansk, of which you are president and founder.
PuertoDansk (The Danish Puerto Rican Society) is an association for the “ethnically confused”. I'm Danish-Puerto Rican myself, and I wanted to create a group that celebrates bringing different cultures together in unusual ways. You don't have to be Danish or Puerto Rican to become a member. In fact all people who join online are free to call themselves Danish-Puerto Ricans, no matter where they're originally from.
I hear that you're famous in Denmark – is it true?
Um, no. But I am an elevator.
Tell me about Global Voices’ new developments.
I can't believe how much the community has grown in the past year. We now have more than 100 volunteer authors, 15 different language versions of Global Voices, and get mentioned in the mainstream media nearly once a week. Rising Voices is going to be announcing another round of micro-grant funding for new blogging projects soon. And we are expecting around 200 people to participate in our Summit in Budapest at the end of June. Mostly it's all good news. This community rocks. Global Voices isn't just a website, but a magnet for of some of the most energetic internet activists in the world.
In what direction do you see Global Voices heading over the next few years?
Well, that's for all of us to decide together. But my personal goal is to help us grow our audience bigger and reach out to mainstream media journalists more effectively. In the future, I think the different regional sections of Global Voices will operate more independently with their various translation partners. Organizationally, it's a big challenge grow bigger and at the same time remain decentralized, flexible, and welcoming, without compromising on quality.
In terms of where the community as a whole is headed, we see citizen media activists breaking communication barriers in their countries every day – spreading more news, using different technologies, taking more control of how people see their regions and politics. It's exhilarating to watch it happen, and yet you still get the sense that this whole thing is only just getting started. I can't wait to see what happens next.
Finally, what's up with all the dinosaurs?
They're irresistibly ferocious.

author: Jillian C. York


text:
Brazil: World (not) Naked Bike Ride · Global Voices
Paula Góes

In the Brazilian version of the World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR), in São Paulo, nudism was ruled out: “According to the a lieutenant who was patrolling the demonstration, the order was to arrest anybody who displays their genitalia. In other words, it is fine to protest… but not naked. The funny thing is, this is the country of carnival, where every year there are naked women on national network television for 3 days, yet the nation is shocked by cycling nudists”, reports br.br101.org [pt]. One person was arrested.

author: Paula Góes


text:
El Salvador: A Photojournalist’s Blog · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Ethan James is a photojournalist in El Salvador, who provides a bit of background commentary with his photographs about life in the country.

author: Eduardo Avila


text:
El Salvador: Funes Continues to Lead by Wide Margins · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The presidential candidate for the FMLN party in El Salvador, Mauricio Funes, continues to lead by nearly 19 percentage points over ARENA candidate Rodrigo Ávila.  Hunnapuh [es] notes that this latest survey took place after the revelations of possible links between FMLN party members and the FARC noting that it did not negatively affects its candidate.


text:
EmPivot: Green media aggregator · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

EmPivot is a website made for sharing videos with a specific theme: environment. This green-related media content is added to the website so that people, organizations and companies can connect with each other with this same interest between them. EmPivot, as they explain on their website, comes from the word Empower and pivot, which is what they wish to do through their aggregator site: Empower people to take the environmental issues on their hands to be able to turn around and go green.
One example is a citizen video from El Salvador, where a group of concerned neighbors of the Garrobo creek film the lack of followup after a legal  mandate to fix damage done to the creek after Mr. Orlando de Sola Wright dumped demolition rubble into a creek, which caused it to fill with material and later flood the neighboring communities. Although the Salvadorean Sixth Sentence Jury mandated the removal of rubble and the construction of breakers in the creek to slow down its passage, this injunction hadn't been followed at the moment of the videos upload, on December 2007.
Also, China's Green Beat Green Brothers bring us a humorous take on the public transportation options in Beijing, with some tips on appropriate behavior on buses, taking advantage of the crowds in the Subway system to pick up girls, the health advantages (and disadvantages) of riding bicycles and why green is the way to go when it comes to transportation.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


text:
Iran:Government protects a national jungle park · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Jamshidi,an Iran based blogger, reports [fa] that security forces shutdown illegal buildings and business in Sorkh Hesar, a national protected jungle. Watch the photos here.

author: Fred Petrossian


text:
Iran:Sex scandal in University · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Several Iranian news sites and blogs including Moeini reported [fa] that Hassan Madadi,Vice president of Zanjan University, was caught on film by students as he was taking off his shirt and allegedly about to take sexual advantage of a female student.


text:
Kenya: Jobsearching using mobile phone · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ethan writes about Kazi560, a jobsearching service via mobile phone in Kenya: “Unemployment is a major problem in Kenya, especially in informal settlements. A creative solution, called Kazi560, is having great success matching blue-collar workers with jobs via SMS. If you’re a laborer, you can spend an amazing amount of your time wandering from one worksite to another, looking for opportunities.”


text:
Kuwait: $10,000 Car Treat!  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Would you spend $10,000 getting your car waxed? I know I wouldn't – but Lebanese blogger Mark, who lives in Kuwait, draws our attention to someone who did just that.
Mark writes:
Back in December I posted about a user on YouTube called paradise1man who had just received his Bugatti Veyron and shot a video of it and uploaded it online. Well I just checked his account now and he has a ton of more videos the latest is of Paul Dalton, “The worlds best car cleaner” who came in all the way from the UK to clean his car.
The video above is of Paul Dalton waxing the car which alone costs $10,000.  If it was me I would have probably gotten bored of the car a month later and just started taking it to the Bayan (local) car wash…
Paradiseman responds to the post saying:
just want to tell you some thing,you did not know how much he cost me if it was $10000 or $1?and you don’t know if he was my friend or not,maybe he is making it for free you never know,i think i will keep you all guessing,sorry if i said anything hurt your feelings,but i love you all and god bless you,good luck and have a nice day.
Paradise1man has a collection of videos on YouTube featuring his precious collection of cars and the world class treatment they get. Here's the video of the alleged $10,000 car wax:


text:
Libya: Father’s Day  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Anglo-Libyan, who lives in the UK, celebrated Father's Day today. “Today in Britain we celebrate Father's Day,while I think everyday should be fathers & mothers day but still it is nice to have a special day dedicated to all the dads out there who usually have to put up with being in the back ground,” he explains.


text:
Malawi: Going back to Malawi · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Malawian blogger says “Goodbye Sweden”: “Time came when I came. Time has gone and I should be gone back to Malawi after two years of great stay in Örebro, Sweden. It has been a time well spent. Numerous experiences both good and bad.”


text:
Nigeria: Are Nigerians abroad more “human”? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Adeola discusses the treatment of Nigerians at home and abroad: “Why do the foreign embassies respect Nigerians living abroad but disrespect Nigerians at home? Why are they more relaxed with their visa application rules with the same Nigerians abroad than at home? Are Nigerians abroad more human than Nigerians at home?”


text:
Nigeria: The Nigeria Entertainment Awards · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ladybrille writes about the Nigeria Entertainment Awards: “The Nigeria Entertainment Awards [NEA], established only three years ago and held in New York City, each year, is one such event that is highly anticipated. The event which showcases the contributions of Nigerian Artists to the world, struggled, in its infancy, to gain footing. But, it appears experience and determination has paid off.”


text:
Palestine: Goodbye to Blogging  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Palestinian Rebellious Arab Girl announced that she will not be blogging for a while.  “I don’t know when I will come back,” she adds.


text:
Paraguay: Increasing the Use of Guaraní with New Lugo Administration · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

El Yacare [es] publishes a peticion sent to incoming Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo asking for an increased use of the indigenous language Guaraní specifically asking for the act of inauguration to be conducted in both the country's official languages.


text:
Paraguay: Producing a Bill Gates · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Liam of Políticamente Incorrecto [es] reflects on the state of the Paraguayan educational system and cites a recent interview conducted with Bill Gates.  The interviewer asked him whether he would have had the same success if he would have been born in another country like Paraguay.


text:
South Africa: MXit vs Facebook · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Comparing MXit and Facebook in South Africa: “BMI-TechKnowledge Group have released a Digital Lifestyles Predictions report with some really interesting info re: MXit and Facebook use within the major cities of South Africa with this pretty graph to go with it.”


text:
South Africa: Scholarships for Highway Africa 2008 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Highway Africa announces scholarships for practicing journalists: “Highway Africa has a limited number of scholarships for practising African journalists who are keen on learning and using digital media. PLEASE NOTE THE EMPHASIS ON PRACTISING JOURNALISTS.”


text:
Zimbabwe: In the words of the people · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

In the words of Zimbabweans: “Can someone help As I am writing this mail there is massive killing of people for political affiliation reasons, destruction of houses and ploughing down of crops in Mutambara Gonzoni area. Can anyone please help STOP this wave of political violence.”


text:
Zimbabwe: Morgan Tsvangirai campaign on Google Earth · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Morgan Tsvangirai campaign in Zimbabwe on Google Earth: “I’ve compiled Morgan Tsvangirai’s campaign from June 2nd until yesterday, with information on campaign stops, detentions by police, vehicle impoundments, and references to all information from on-line news sources. I’ll update it as required. The tour will take you round parts of Zimbabwe he has covered in the last two weeks.”


text:
Afghanistan: FLOTUS Laura Bush visits Afghanistan · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The Rumi reports that America’s First Lady Mrs. Laura Bush made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Sunday June 8, 2008.

author: Adil Nurmakov


text:
Afghanistan: Lack of drinking water in Balkh province · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The Rumi says that thousands of families have been forced to leave their homes due to food and drinking water scarcity in Balkh, northern province of Afghanistan.


text:
Afghanistan: Landmines · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Peter Marton analyzes the situation around security in Afghanistan amidst the fact that last year still over 600 people were killed by landmines and other unexploded explosive ordnance remaining behind from the 1980s or from later times.


text:
Afghanistan: Securing Future in Paris · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Afghan PenLog opines on the Paris Support Conference, saying that the international community re-engaged in the country with a very light footprint.


text:
Africa: Technology events in Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A list of technology events taking place in Africa from White Africa: “I’m starting to compile a list of interesting technology events happening around the continent. If this ends up being useful, I’ll create a page to keep it updated. Let me know if you like it, or if there is someone already keeping a calender of sorts.”


text:
Armenia: New LGBT Blogs · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped: Gay Armenia points its readers to two new LGBT blogs. The first, Hye Trent is by a Lebanese-Armenian transexual, while the second, Pink Armenia, is from a newly established LGBT NGO in the country.

author: Onnik Krikorian


text:
Azerbaijan: Alcohol Dependency · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Azerbaijan — A Part of Europe examines the extent of alcohol dependency among youth in the country. The blog comments on new trends in social drinking and alcoholism which can be linked to the situation of young people in Azerbaijan as they increasingly look towards their counterparts in the West as role models.


text:
Azerbaijan: Media Campaigner Assaulted · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

This is Tbilisi Calling, the blog of journalist Matthew Collin, reports that a media rights campaigner has been pistol-whipped and hospitalized in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku. The incident happened after police raided a party celebrating the 80th anniversary of the birth of Che Guevara.


text:
Bahamas: Microwaveable Minds  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Blogger Nicolette Bethel is “operating in a state of low-grade anger”: “The thing that makes me angriest these days is the fundamental disrespect that we offer ourselves as Bahamians…the conviction that far too many of our leaders seem to have that we are really second-rate people.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


text:
Barbados, Bahamas, Cuba, U.S.A.: R.I.P. Russert  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban blogger Ninety miles away…in another country, Adrian Gibson at Weblog Bahamas and Living in Barbados acknowledge the passing of American journalist Tim Russert.


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

Barbados Underground says that “the queue of ‘expectation’ for Barack Obama, has already started to form”.


text:
Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia: Top war crimes suspect Župljanin arrested · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Stojan Župljanin, one of the four top remaining war crimes suspects from the 1990s Balkan Wars wanted by the International War Crimes Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) based in The Hague, was arrested on Wednesday near Belgrade, the Serbian capital. The ICTY had been seeking Župljanin since 1999 and the US government had even offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Zupljanin's arrest or conviction. The Balkan blogosphere has been abuzz with the news.
The Srebrenica Genocide Blog described the ICTY indictment against Župljanin:
Zupljanin, 56, who commanded Bosnian Serb police during the Bosnian Serb war in the mid-1990s, was initially charged with genocide, but that was later amended to crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, and violations of the laws or customs of war.
The indictment against Zupljanin says he planned, ordered, or carried out the persecution of Bosniaks, Bosnian Croats and other non-Serbs in 1992. Forces under his command, the indictment says, were responsible for killing, torturing, raping and attacking non-Serbs in towns and villages.
The indictment also alleges that Zupljanin ordered the unlawful detention of people in prison camps which lacked adequate shelter, food, water, or medical care, and he is also charged with torture.
The Srebrenica Genocide Blog, Blog de veille sur les droits de l'homme en Serbie [Fr] and Samaha reported that at the moment of his arrest Stojan Župljanin claimed to be a certain Branislav Vukadin and showed documentation under that name, but subsequent DNA tests proved his identity. And Samaha (who also recommends watching the movie The Hunting Party, based on true events of chasing a war criminal in Bosnia) adds:
Mladic, Karadzic and Hadzic .. your time is running out.
Douglas Muir at A Fistful of Euros is a bit more skeptical than Samaha about the arrest of the other top suspects:
Personally I’d be very surprised if any of these three are caught, but then I’ve just been pleasantly surprised by Zupljanin’s arrest. Certainly I’d love to be wrong!
The blog How Bosnian and Balkan Wars Started posted an article by Agence France Presse describing the positive reactions of Bosniak leaders to the arrest, “as a possible sign of Serbia’s readiness to extradite remaining fugitives.”
Eric Gordy of East Ethnia also welcomed the arrest as a step forward for Serbia's EU integration:
…that leaves three more people indicted for war crimes on the list to be arrested: Ratko Mladić, Radovan Karadžić, and Goran Hadžić. That will take care of one of the principal conditions for ratification of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Serbia. If the country succeeded in improving its wine and becoming a global tennis superpower, surely it can make that extra step.
In one of the comments to his post, Steve Albert gave his opinion:
The thing is, it is Karadzic and Mladic that count. If Župljanin can be apprehended, so can Mladic. That is the real test as to whether Serbia is ready to meet the E.U.'s conditions for membership.
B92 blogger Hugh Griffiths offers an interpretation of the arrest coming at this particular moment in time:
… that Kostunica is finished became clear today when the secret police cast their very public vote by arresting indicted war criminal Stojan Zupljanin.
For if Kostunica and his mates the Radicals were going to form the next government, you can be sure that those who listen to the mobile phone conversations of criminals and politicians alike would never have arrested a war crimes indictee days before a Radical dominated government takes power, given the stated Radical election pledge that if they were to form the next government, no more fugitives would be sent to the Hague.
So there's clearly been a Eurovision moment and the writing is on Dedinje's walls. War crimes arrests = “For a European Serbia” forming the next government…
However, YakimaGulagLiteraryGazett, in a post titled “Yes, they can bust people when they WANT to,” states:
I don't see a coincidence here, and neither do many others where I am…

author: Elia Varela Serra


text:
China: Curse of the Olympic mascots? · Global Voices
John Kennedy

In case you ever wondered if those Olympic Fuwas weren't just a little too cute to be true, apparently you aren't the only one.
For China, the superstitious formula to that effect which has been making its way across various networks since the Sichuan earthquake looks accurate enough given the number of tragic events which have befallen China already this year. And mention of the Curse of the Fuwas [zh] has been getting deleted left and right and off Baidu and there are even separate versions, so the curse must really exist and the few criticisms of the notion [zh] that do still exist are powerless to stop it.
So, Sohu blogger Elvia Wu sums it up in a post that has since been deleted:
中国，08年的中国真是多事之秋呀！
从年初到现在，中国一直祸事连连。山东火车相撞、西藏闹事、奥运火炬在传递过程中被抢，现在成都又发生了大地震，死伤过万人！
近来在网上及手机短信中流传着这么一段话：
一个福娃头上是风筝，代表潍坊，于是山东出事了；
一个福娃是藏羚羊，于是西藏出事了；
一个福娃是火炬，于是火炬出事了；
一个福娃是熊猫，于是四川出事了；
现在还剩一条鱼 ….
From the beginning of year until now, it's been disaster after disaster for China. The train car collision in Shandong, the unrest in Tibet, grabbing at the Olympic torch during the relay, and now Chengdu has had an earthquake, with tens of thousands dead!
Recently this little passage has been spreading around online and through SMS:
One Fuwa has a kite on its head, representing Weifang, and then something happened in Shandong;
One Fuwa is a Tibetan antelope, and then something happened in Tibet;
One Fuwa is a torch, and then something happened to the Olympic torch;
One Fuwa is a panda, and then something happened in Sichuan;
Now there's still the fish left…
对于中国目前的现状，国人是担忧的，这很能理解！
但我们不应该把奥运会与这些祸事相联。毕竟，奥运会是中国的光荣，是我们中华民族的光荣，是我们经过了很多努力之后才得来的荣誉。奥运福娃的设计是有突破的，是第一个以五个形象，以图组的形式出现在公众面前的。
奥运福娃的象征与这些祸事也许有些许巧合，但非要把这些事情联系在一起来说就是迷信了。
But we should not associate these disasters with the Olympic Games. After all, the Olympics are China's glory, the glory of the Chinese people, and the honor we've earned after all the hard work we've been through. The design of the Olympic Fuwas was a breakthrough, it's the first time that the public has seen it come in a series of five figures.
There are some coincidences between the symbols of the Olympic Fuwas and these disasters, but determination to put these two together is just superstition.
Then there were other evidence points, such as January 25 (01/25) being the day the heaviest snowfall in 50 years fell, paralyzing a large part of the country's transportation and electricity networks, and 1+2+5 adding up to 8; the Tibetan riots broke out on March 14, so 3+1+4; the Shandong train collision occurred on April 28 (4*2=8), and the Sichuan earthquake on May 12. Then to top it all off, 8pm on August 8=888, sign of the Fuwa.
Most recently, the supposed curse has come full circle to bring Beibei into this, with torrential rain across large parts of the country which began on May 26 (2+6), setting records in Hong Kong, swallowing cars whole in Beijing, and flooding rivers from Jiangxi to hundreds of thousands displaced in Guangxi, which as Blogspot blogger Griffin Lee writes, only comes as the country is still left recovering from last month's earthquake:
earthquake's problem hasnt solve yet n now flooding all over places in southern China,
this is a tragic scene , imagine u're one of the victim or ur family or relaives r there.

author: John Kennedy


text:
Czech Republic: Greenpeace’s “Peaceland” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

“The last reason for taking the Greenpeace seriously is gone,” comments The Czech Daily Word on the Greenpeace activists’ initiative to declare independence of the Czech military installation where a U.S. National Defense System radar is to be built.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


text:
Czech Republic: Legal Age · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Czech Daily Word writes about “legal age” in the Czech Republic.


text:
Czech Republic: Penal Code · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Czech Daily Word discusses some of the drawbacks of the Czech penal code.


text:
Czech Republic, U.S.: Intermarriages · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sue of To Czech and Back, a U.S.-based American married to a Czech, guestblogs at Tanja's CzechMateDiary.com; Tanja is a U.S.-based Czech married to an American.


text:
Estonia: Citizens, Aliens, and the Myths · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Itching for Eestimaa writes about the myths surrounding Estonia's Law on Aliens and Citizenship Act.


text:
Guyana: Good Boys · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Guyana-Gyal wonders where all the good boys have gone…


text:
Hong Kong: Earthquake Photos Behind the News Story · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Florence blogs about an exhibition on “Sichuan earthquake photos: behind the news story“. The exhibition displays photos and videos taken from the Sichuan earthquake area to share the front line reporters’ story behind the news.

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
Hong Kong: Education · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fai Mao blogs about Hong Kong education culture from a librarian perspective.


text:
Guatemala: Activism Helps Remember the Disappeared · Global Voices
Renata Avila

The verb “To disappear” became a commonly used noun when describing the sad situation across Latin America. “The disappeared” referred to forgotten names or the body never found of those that victims of armed conflicts and dictatorships. This month in Guatemala, bloggers are involved in activism by telling the world their feelings about the crime of forced disappearances and how it harmed many Guatemalans during the armed conflict, as well as participating in campaigns and attending art exhibits.
Two students from Haverford College write about their experiences researching the stories of those who have disappeared:
The blatant denial of the truth by all responsible is the greatest insult to the survivors and the slaughtered. The greatest injustice is the inescapability of this horror by innocent, poor, disregarded individuals.
One of these individuals is don Andres. At age 82, he was digging for his two daughters and grandson who were brutally strangled with ropes by the military in July of 1982. As the hollow sound of the pick axe pounding the black soil increased and the remnant of green cloth emerged, he broke down sobbing, and so did we. The pain that don Andres demonstrated in that moment was the outpouring of 25 years of grief. For 25 years, he was unsure of where his two daughters. Given this country’s history, he was sure they were dead. The same goes for his 9 month old grandchild. This life that would have been 25 years long today, years longer than ours, was not allowed to begin. As we exhumed the bodies of all three, our hearts bled for don Andres. But after stepping back, we realized that his is not an isolated case. There are 500,000 don Andreses.
A recent public art exhibition was held called “The Disappeared” in Antigua Guatemala, as described by Fe de Rata [es]  :
Esta exposición, Los Desaparecidos, es una muestra itinerante de 25 artistas latinoamericanos que asimilan el tema y lo plasman en obras impactantes como las que pueden observar en las fotografías. Esta exposición es una iniciativa de Laurel Reuter, directora del Museo de Arte de Dakota del Norte y recoge la memoria de los desaparecidos durante los regímenes autoritarios que gobernaron en países como Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala o Uruguay.
The traveling exhibition, The Disappeared, features the works of 25 Latin American artists who express their feeling on the subject through impactful art works. It is an initiative of Laurel Reuter, Director of the North Dakota Art Museum and it captures the memory of the people disappeared during the authoritarian regimes that ruled countries like Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala or Uruguay.
The central focus of the exhibit was a series of performance works of art called Horror Vacui .  Artist Stefan Benchoam wrote the phrase, “One never has been so present, when one is not there,” in sand on an outside street.  The wind began to slowly blow the sand away.  Other works were described in the exhibition's blog, such as Jessica Lagunas’ “120 Minutes of Silence,” which featured the artist cutting pieces of fabric from military uniforms.
Slideshow courtesy of Los Desaparecidos blog.
Guatemala suffered a lot during the armed conflict, with agressions against civilians, tortures, and up to 40,000 people who disappeared at the hands of the military-ruled government according to blogger at La Ladilla [es]. Much of the backlash and blame for the disappeared is placed on the armed forces.  As a result, the organization H.I.J.O.S. protested against the military parades held on Army Day and Independence Day explained by Mimundo.org:
We demand the abolition of the June 30th [Army Day] and September 15th [Independence Day] military parades. Such display of force by the Army to Guatemalan society can only be considered offensive and a clear signal of impunity as the institution has been signaled for crimes against humanity by several justice systems [both at national and international levels]… It is paradoxical that after the signing of the Peace Accords [which ended a 36-year war] we still have such displays which contribute to the institutionalization of violence and totalitarianism in a country seeking to build democratic processes." H.I.J.O.S. (Guatemala) (Acronym for: Sons and Daughters for Identity and Justice, against Forgetfulness and Silence).
And they succeeded. For the first time in Guatemala since the start of Army Day, the celebrations will not be public. Some Bloggers were delighted with the decision, Many activists collected signatures to stop the celebrations. Blogger Historica Transitoria [es]  is happy with the result:
Toda esta, nuestra historia, es la que ha parado hoy un símbolo de historia de terror y barbarie, JUNTOS TODOS Y TODAS HEMOS PARADO EL DESFILE MILITAR, junto a todos aquellos que rompieron el silencio con su huella y sus firmas en las hojas que llegaron a San Marcos, al Ixcán, al Peten, al Estor, a Cobán …
Our history is the one that stopped a symbol of terror and barbaric actions, together we stopped the military parade, together with those who broke the silence with their fingerprints, their signatures, on papers that came from San Marcos, Ixcan, Peten, El Estor, Coban ….
However, not all accepted or shared the same position.  Member of the armed forces and blogger Perspectiva Militar [es]  wrote:
Es comprensible la actitud de personas que perdieron un ser querido durante el Enfrentamiento Armado Interno, pero muchos ciudadanos que también perdieron familiares militares no mantienen una actitud de confrontación a casi doce años de firmada la paz.
Even though many of the crimes are left without prosecution and the government continues to keep the archives closed, which contains information about the victims, many Guatemalans continue to learn more about their own history and continue to be active in remembering the victims.

author: Renata Avila


text:
India: History Carnival · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The sixth edition of the Indian History Carnival is up at Desipundit, a selction of posts on history in the Indian Blogosphere.

author: Neha Viswanathan


text:
Iraq: Black – The Colour of Grief  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi women are now accustomed to wearing black – the colour of grief and mourning, notes Inside Iraq. But amid the darkness and gloom, some young women admit to wearing brown, green and even pink!
According to Correspondent Jenan:
Black is the favorite color for Iraqi women's clothing–not because they like it, but because they are used to wearing it. For decades Iraqi women have suffered from wars, sometimes losing their loved ones. That has caused them to wear black to show their deep grief.
Such a custom, means brisk business for fabric merchants. Jenan points:
Even Iraqi merchants import black clothes more than any other color, to meet demands of the marketplace.
“What other standards do Iraqi women fellow to choose the color of their clothes?” asks Jenan and then responds:
The most widely used, as explained earlier, is black.  Besides for mourning, black is also used in our traditional costume called an aba (gown).
The blogger relates her personal experience with her mother, who has donned black from head to toe for 28 years. She writes:
Ever since 1980 until today I see my mom wearing black clothes from the top of her head to her toes.  She first started wearing back after the death of my father 28 years ago, and she has never changed it even once, despite whatever happiness has happened in our family. My mom is like millions of Iraqi women who lost their husbands, brothers, sons or other loved ones.
Once I aasked my mom to put at least a white scarf on her head instead of a black one,.  She replied: “It is shameful wearing colorful clothes if you have lost your beloved.” My mom was convinced that women who lost their loved ones shouldn’t wear any color but black.
What about Jenan? What does she like? She confesses:
As for myself, I like to wear different colors.  I especially like brown and green–and sometimes even pink!  It doesn't have to be a special occasion for me to wear pink, just whenever I feel like it.  Besides abas, we wear veils, and they should be color-coordinated with the other color you are wearing.
Underneath the aba, you can wear any color you wish, but for the veil which goes over and around your head, it should be harmonious with the color of your aba.  You should also wear only black sandals with your black aba.  With other colors of clothes, you can wear different shoes of different colors.


text:
Iraq: Chinese Food  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Do Arabs like Chinese food? Read the reactions a story Sunnyraindrops links to about a Chinese restaurant in Iraq to know the answer.


text:
Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago: Calabashing Walcott  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaican blogger Annie Paul quotes Guyana's Stabroek News on Walcott's anti-Naipaul poem, The Mongoose.


text:
Jamaica: Red Man  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp posts a poem on “the curse of being apart, neither black nor white, but red…”


text:
Japan: Reflections on the Akiba Massacre (Part 2) · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

In the last post, I summarized some of the many blog conversations about social background to the massacre in Tokyo's Akihabara district on June 8th. Another aspect of the tragedy sparking many discussions was the way the incident was covered through the citizen media: through blogs, but also through Twitter [ja], and most controversially through the use of streaming video [ja]. As blogger Akihito Kobayashi (小林啓倫) pointed out [ja], while this was not the first case in Japan where a news story broke first through these new forms of media, it was a very clear sign that times are changing. Even NHK, Japan's national broadcaster, was apparently using pictures off the Internet taken with mobile phone cameras by people who just happened to be on the scene.
Random knife murders like the one in Akihabara may not be so novel in Japan [ja], but on-the-spot citizen media is still fairly new. The combination of the two, though, didn't go over very well with the public. An article in J-CAST [ja] describes the backlash in weekly magazines against the paparazzi-like picture-taking of curious onlookers snapping shots of bleeding victims. An online survey by Livedoor [ja] quoted in the article indicated that two-thirds of respondents thought that picture-taking at the scene was immoral.
More shocking than the picture taking to some was the use of streaming video. Live feeds by two users of Ustream in particular, lyphard and kenan (on Twitter at @lyphard and @kenan_), drew thousands of viewers before going down. At fragments of love on June 9th, blogger sillat described their experience watching Twitter feeds and Ustream streaming video:
日曜日だったので午後に布団を抜け出して、いつものようにMacの電源を付けてtwitterのtimelineを眺めていたら、なにか騒々しい。流れを見てると、どうやら秋葉原で大変な事件が起きたとか、歩行者天国が封鎖されたとか、物騒な話である。それと同時にustがどうのこうのというのも流れてきた。それが、当日偶然現地に居合わせた@kenan_と@Lyphardによるustream配信。@kenan_のアカウントはviewerが3000人くらいになってダウンした（おそらく原因はIRCチャットの負荷）らしいから見れなかったんだけど、@Lyphardが配信を始めてからは私も見ていた。まあそれもviewerが爆発的に増えてこっちもブラウザがフリーズして、そのあたりで配信は終わったんだけども、それからしばらくtimelineとNHKに張り付いて情報が錯綜していったり確定されたりする様子を眺めてるなどしてた。
Later in the same post, sillat observes:
私たちは情報をなにがしかのメディアから受け取っていて、特に新聞・ラジオ・テレビ、そういうマスメディアと呼ばれるものから受け取ってることが多かった。特定少数から不特定多数への情報伝達。でもインターネットが発展していくにつれて、不特定多数からの情報伝達がやりやすくなった。Web2.0といわれてるアレ。
kenan wrote at their blog “recently” on June 8th:
みんなも知ってると思う今日の秋葉原の事件をUstreamを使って映像配信してた。
身内だけで見てたけど2chに張られたらしく視聴者が2000人を超えた当りでサーバーとマシンの負荷の限界が来て配信終了。
実際、すぐ隣で蘇生術ほどこされてる重傷の人とか、止血ようの布とか散らばってて生々しかった。
これはただの報道ごっこであり、そんなの撮るんじゃない。不謹慎だ。とか思われるだろうし、警官の人にも「人の不幸を撮って楽しいか？」とか言われました。
In another post, kenan describes the scene at the moment when he shot the video, which started at 13:09:33 on June 8th:
この時点で警察、消防、救急車などはかなり整備されていた。
交差点付近は閉鎖。被害者にはビニールシート等で野次馬からの視界保護。
撮影範囲は新しいSofmap秋葉の交差点。
撮影方向は交差点のSofmapから反対側方面へ向けて配信、この時点で警察車両が交差点を囲い始め現場検証などが始まる。
Blogger hageatama provides some more background and offers a defense for kenan's shooting the streaming video:
元々、IRCの#Twitterに常駐している面子は”高円寺クラスタ”と称される集団を中心に、IRCによる文字実況とWEBカメラによる映像実況が組み合わされたWEBサービス”Ustream”の利用率が非常に高くなっています。昨夜も夜明けまで高円寺の@retlet宅内にぐだぐだ集まって、初代To Heartを実況しながらプレイする、等というアホな事をやっていまして、Ustreamの利用自体は日常茶飯事なわけです。
さらに、オタクとPCの街である秋葉原とTwitter利用者の親和性は異常に高く、週末どころか平日ですら夕方以降にリナカフェに行けば誰かいるという状況があります。
つまり一般の人には理解しにくいであろう個人による事件の実況中継も、この2つの条件が組み合わさることで、秋葉原の現場で @kenan_ がUstream配信を始めた行動自体は、我々にとって特別な事でも何でも無いわけです。
The other Ustream user who shot footage live at the scene, lyphard, wrote at their blog gunnyori:
私はあの場でustで中継しました。それはついさっきまでリナカフェの状況を中継していたのと何ら変わらない。ただ、その場での出来事を、あの場の空気を中継したかったからした。ただそれだけでした。
野次馬根性がなかったとは言い切れません。ustの閲覧者が増えていき数百人を超えた辺りである種の高揚感があったのも認めます。
そんな私は不謹慎なのでしょうか？
While some were debating the legality [ja] of what kenan and lyphard did at Hatena Question, most recognized the significance of what had happened. Hatena blogger YUSIZO remarked [ja]:
ただ今回の事件がこのような形で一般人によって「報道」された事については、凄く重要な事だと思います。善悪は置いておいて。
こういう「私的な報道」はこの方がやらなくてもいずれ誰かがやったと思いますし、これから数日、動画や携帯写メールで色んな人が現場の惨状を無配慮に垂れ流し、多くの人が自分なりの意見をのべるでしょう。
技術が進歩し、誰もが気軽に写真と動画をネット上に流せるようになった以上、個人レベルで報道が行われる事は避けられないと思います。
Many questioned what was happening to the sense of what is “public” (公共性). Blogger raurublock writes about the restraints put on mass media by their sponsors, arguing that what happened in this case demonstrates that media has changed fundamentally:
ところが今回の件を見てもわかるように、そういうマスコミの実質的な独占は既に崩れたわけですよ。これからは、これまで嵌っていたゆるゆるの箍すらなくなり、これまで皆あまり考えずに済んでいた「公共性とは何か」とか言う問題に直面せざるを得なくなる、ということでもあります。
Many bloggers and commentators wrote about this disappearing boundary between the curious onlooker and the professional reporter. An article by journalist and blogger Fujishiro Hiroyuki Fujishiro [藤代裕之] [ja] suggests that in an age when everybody can create media, the question of what kind of reporting is “right” becomes meaningless. In an article at CNET, web commentator, former journalist and author  Toshinao Sasaki [佐々木俊尚] (see this translated interview) remarks that traditional journalists have up until now been protected from the criticism that was targeted at Ustream users in this case by an illusion. He offers an interesting example of what happens to journalists when this illusion is gone:
知人の大手新聞記者はある夜、当直勤務の途中で火事現場に取材に駆り出された。うっかり会社にカメラを置き忘れていて、手元にある撮影機器はケータイしかない。しかたなくケータイで火事場を撮影していたところ、付近にいた警察官や消防隊員から何度となく「そんな不謹慎なことはやめなさい」とたしなめられた。彼はそのたびに「すみません、新聞社なんです」と説明せざるを得なかったのだという。
But how far can this new kind of citizen media go?  Are there limits? Blogger complexequality offers a sobering rhetorical question:
わかりにくければ、たとえばこういう思考実験をしてみればいいだろう。犯人は今回携帯のライフログを用いていた。多くの人が、そのライフログを見ている。「報道」を通して。では、もし犯人がワイヤレスのカメラを首からぶら下げて、連行されるその瞬間まで、USTREAMで自らの眼前に繰り広げられる光景をストリーミングしていたならばどうだろう。われわれはそれを見るのだろうか？

author: Chris Salzberg


text:
Japan: Slimming Down Policy · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Brain Engel from Japundit blogs about the Japan government's plan to slim down its citizens.


text:
Kazakhstan: Astana Construction · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Adam shares his photos of the construction sites in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, which will be having a pompous celebration of its 10-year anniversary in early July.


text:
Kazakhstan: Gay Parade Cancelled · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

KZBlog says that the hearsay on the first Kazakhstani gay pride event was reported by the news agencies, but later both the LGBT umbrella organization and the city administration disproved the information, calling it a provocation and hoax.


text:
Kazakhstan: Religious Communities Cautious Over Law · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Zhanna says that the Kazakhstan’s state apparatus is continuing its consolidation efforts by introduction of stricter control over relidious organization and their activities.


text:
Kenya: Update from online charity · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

An update from AVIF volunteers in Kenya: Just a quick update from the Mercy Home to fill you all in on our visit and show you how all the money you have donated has helped improve the Mercy Home and provide a better life for all the girls here.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


text:
Kuwait: Annoying People in Cinemas · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Kuwaiti blog Final Haven describes five types of annoying people you could come across in cinemas in Kuwait.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Kyrgyzstan: Chingiz Aitmatov Buried · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Elena publishes some photos from the funeral ceremony for the famous Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov.


text:
Malaysia: Handover of term · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Brooding Lizard reacts to the report that the Malaysian Prime Minister has agreed to a handover or transfer of power early next year.

author: Mong Palatino


text:
Malaysia: “No to handpicked successor” · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Tunku believes that Malaysia's next leader should not be a “handpicked successor.” The position should be contested in the polls.


text:
Myanmar: Cyclone survivors arrested for complaining · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

ko-htike uploads an article which reported that Myanmar survivors were arrested after making complaints about the conditions in refugee camps


text:
Myanmar: Foreign doctors are now leaving · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Irrawaddy reports that foreign doctors are now leaving the cyclone refugee camps of Myanmar


text:
Myanmar: Kyan Hmaw village · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Before Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar last month, the village of Kyan Hmaw was inhabited by 1,316 people. Now, according to Ashin Mettacara, only 332 people are living in the community.


text:
Pakistan: After the Long March · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

CHUP! on the reactions over the weekend to the Long March – a protest by lawyers in Pakistan.


text:
Pakistan: Spying across the border · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The Pakistani Spectator takes a closer look at the spies sent across the border between India and Pakistan, and how their cases are used politically.


text:
Palestine: Obama on Jerusalem as Undivided · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Barack Obama's pledge on June 11th to AIPAC that Jerusalem should be Israel's undivided capital has angered Palestinian officials.  President Mahmoud Abbas made a statement that Obama's pledge is “totally rejected,” while Saeb Erekat, an Abbas aide, said that Palestinian negotiators would continue to insist upon East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.  Incidentally, the United States does not currently recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel; rather, maps show Tel Aviv, where the U.S. and other embassies are located, as Israel's capital city.
Officials were not the only ones angered by Obama's statement.  Palestinian bloggers, living within Palestine and outside of it, were frustrated as well.  Dr. Ghassan Michel Rubeiz, writing for Arabisto.com, believes that Obama went too far:
Like the rest of Washington’s guest politicians, the senator from Illinois pledged to the rich and powerful audience his unqualified loyalty to the Jewish state.
But Obama went too far in comforting and easing doubts. To demonstrate his loyalty to Israel, he declared that Jerusalem must “remain undivided” as the capital of the Jewish State. This position is at variance with the current official US policy, a policy which regards Tel-Aviv, not Jerusalem, as the capital. Washington abides by international law on the status of Jerusalem: the future of the City of Peace must be negotiated by both Arabs and Jews.
Rubeiz then added:
But in the larger scheme of things, Obama’s Middle East policy is right on track. If elected president, he may be able to revive the currently stagnated Middle East peace process. He is open to talks with Iran, Syria and their partners; to disciplined withdrawal from Iraq and to decisive talks on a two-state solution for the Arab-Israeli conflict.
He then adds that he believes in Obama's uniting abilities:
In this election year both Arab and Jewish Americans would be smart to vote as Americans first. This is not to say that home background issues should be totally overlooked. Obama has the capacity and the desire to bring peace to the Middle East and offer change to America. If they switch their mindset to a win-win paradigm Arabs and Jews may find a mutual friend in Obama.
QuiQui, writing for KabobFest, is angered by Obama's perspective:
Throughout the campaign Obama has been talking as if race has not only ceased to exist in this country but that the white community shares the same concerns, all of which transcend racism. Now he talks as if not only is there nothing wrong with Zionism — he's talking as if Zionism must be defended. That man is gonna be president.
Robin, who often blogs for Palestine, wonders how many voters Obama has lost with his comments:
The question remains, how many voters has he lost with his “right turn”? I ask this because I am still wondering who wrote this speech for him, and did he pre-approve it? That is the lingering question in my mind because like Zunes, I do not believe that things stated in this speech were entirely necessary, in particular his wrong-headed “undivided Jerusalem” statement. Not only did it throw gasoline on an ongoing ending of the occupation/peace process/final status issues which have yet to be resolved for more than forty years, it is also a statement he ultimately felt he had to partially retract due to the not to be unexpected uproar in the Arab world as well as with Jewish voices for peace and many progressives.
Debunk the myths presents an interesting theory on Obama's AIPAC speech:
AIPAC, the powerful “Israeli” lobby and the zionist friendly media have decided that since the black culture is really hip now and black entertainers can really carry a message, then why not use the momentum of your enemy to your advantage – kinda like Aikido. So they figure put a black man president, and we're automatically cool and less mysterious. I mean would Kanye West be able to claim live on TV as he did during Katrina that the government doesn't care about black people. How effective would David Chappelle and Mos Def be when they challenge the institution headed by a black man.
So you see the genius of the plan. Take the cool from the streets and put it in the white house. And so the rebels who at one time were leading the cool movement will be left dumbfounded and scratching their heads going “So is it over, have we won?”
Finally, No Justice No Peace…the Big Picture was very straightforward:
Check out the transcript of Obama's speech to AIPAC. Candidates must talk tough when they address AIPAC. Note that Obama does not discuss Israel's 41-year ILLEGAL occupation or the NUMEROUS UN resolutions Israel has violated or its NUMEROUS contraventions of international law.
I wonder what Ron Paul would say to AIPAC, had he the opportunity to address this lunatic group.
This article is also posted on Voices without Votes.

author: Jillian C. York


text:
Philippines: Journalists abducted · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A TV reporter and her crew were abducted in Southern Philippines by armed bandits. Anito Kid blogs about the kidnapping. Molly Stories suggests ways on how to prevent future kidnapping of media personalities


text:
Poland: Euro 2008 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belatedly, a link to Raf Uzar‘s post on Poland's debut in Euro 2008: “After all the hype, glitz and talk of victory, Poland’s players served up one of their most lacklustre performances in recent years.”


text:
Poland: Gay Pride · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Polandian writes about and posts pictures from the gay pride parade that took place in Warsaw on June 7.


text:
Poland: Housing Market · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

20 East writes about Poland's housing market.


text:
Poland: The Language · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

According to Polandian, Polish language isn't hard.


text:
Renewable Energy ‘Supercenter’ at Tel-Aviv University · Global Voices
Juliana Rotich

The Green Prophet blogs about the announcement by Tel-Aviv University.
“The proposed Supercenter “will be much more than a hatchery for new clean technologies,” said Prof. Abraham Kribus, an engineer and solar energy expert. “It will be a multi-disciplinary powerhouse including all the non-technological aspects, such as economics, law, and public policy, for making clean technology a reality in Israel and beyond.””

author: Juliana Rotich


text:
Russia, U.S.: “Antiquated Kremlinology” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Scraps of Moscow posts scanned samplings of an “antiquated Kremlinology” item, found in one of Washington, D.C., used bookstores: “To be honest, I can't decide whether this book is more interesting as a compendium of enduring Russophobic stereotypes or as a monument to some of the actual (if perhaps superficial) policy continuities between the Soviet and post-Soviet periods and their ability to continue to engender hysteria among foreign observers […].”


text:
Slovakia: Bratislava Castle · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia writes about the ongoing reconstruction of Bratislava Castle.


text:
South African Wind Farm Project begins · Global Voices
Juliana Rotich

The Urbansprout reports “SA's first renewable energy power initiative feeding into the national grid was officially powered up on Friday. The R75-million Darling Wind Farm consists of four turbines of 1.3 MW capacity generating a total of 5.2 MW of beautiful clean energy!”


text:
South Korea: Beef Protest Sum Up · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Matt from Gusts of Popular Feeling wrote a sum-up of analysis on the anti-importation of U.S beef protest.


text:
South Korea: Pro-Beef Comics Sent to Schools · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Korea Beat translated a local newspapers article on South Korean government's move in sending pro-beef comics to school.


text:
Sri Lanka: On Ethnic Conflict · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Beyond Borders on a study circle in Sri Lanka exploring issues of ethnicity and conflict.


text:
Syria: Coup Plot Crushed  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Joshua Landis links to reports about a coup plot against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that was quietly crushed without the world noticing in Syria Comment.


text:
Syria: Sleeping Problems  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Syrian Muoffaq Qabbani is finding it difficult to sleep.


text:
Ukraine: Chernobyl Photos · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

“Chernobyl 2006: 20 Years On” – over 60 photos from a trip to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, by Phil Coomes (Flickr user blinkofaneye).


text:
Vietnam: Detention of journalists sparks web debate · Global Voices
Caroline Finlay

It would seem like the press in Vietnam is getting freer and freer, but the arrest of two journalists and a once-renowned investigator shows that any recent progress is tenuous.
In the run up to Vietnam’s admission to the World Trade Organization in 2006, newspapers reported with never before seen gusto. In the biggest story since the arrest and execution of mob boss Nam Can, in mid 2006 the Project Management Unit 18 (PMU 18) scandal broke. Newspapers reported on ministry of transportation officials who were accused of embezzlement and bribery and for losing millions of foreign dollars. These reports made the international press and greatly embarrassed the Vietnamese Communist Party.
At the heart of the scandal was senior police officer in charge of investigating the case, Major General Pham Xuan Quac, now retired. He was hailed as a hero for his role in exposing corruption in the ministry of transportation. At one point he gave an interview to Thanh Nien reporter Nguyen Viet Chien, who then wrote of PMU 18 manager Bui Tien Dung’s attempts at bribery. Dung was arrested, along with deputy minister of transport Nguyen Viet Tien, who allocated 70 percent of ministry funds to the corrupt and inefficient PMU 18. The minister of transportation, Dao Dinh Binh, resigned but was not detained.
Newspaper reports reflected public outrage and labelled Dung, Tien and Binh as corrupt villains. Reports mentioned the call for justice, a bold step in a tightly controlled media. In the West it is illegal for the media to declare a person guilty or innocent before he or she is sentenced in court, so perhaps the Vietnamese media did go a step too far.
But this year the pendulum swung back. In early 2008, the PMU 18 officials went to trial, and Nguyen Viet Tien, accused of taking PMU 18 vehicles for personal use and of bribing an official in a land-scam, was cleared of all charges. In April, he was reinstated as a Communist Party member. In May, investigator Pham Xuan Quac and journalists Nguyen Viet Chien and Nguyen Van Hai were arrested and charged with “abuse of power” and for printing false facts in the news in the story relating to Dung bribing a number of important persons.
There is a frenzy of discussion on the internet, with colleagues of Chien and Hai eloquently supporting them, both in print and online. Nguyen Cong Khe, editor of the Thanh Nien newspaper, stands by journalist Chien:
“Phóng viên của tôi không bao giờ bịa đặt, mà làm báo không cho phép chúng tôi bịa đặt. Chúng tôi chống tham nhũng hay chống tiêu cực phải dựa trên cơ sở của sự thật và được cơ quan chức năng chính thức cung cấp.
Ngay như bài “Bùi Tiến Dũng đã khai đưa tiền chạy án cho gần 40 nhân vật quan trọng” đăng trên Thanh Niên có đến hai vị tướng xác nhận, và chúng tôi có băng ghi âm. . . Chúng tôi thông tin là có nguồn tin cung cấp, chứng cứ.”
“The day that the article, “Bui Tien Dung said that he bribed nearly 40 important persons” was in Thanh Nien newspaper, we had as many as two pieces of supporting evidence and a signed statement. We are informing you that we have valid news sources and proof.”
Journalist Doan Hiep of Saigon Giai Phong, thinks the charges relation to a single story written by Chien, are overblown and unrealistic:
“Họ bị khởi tố về tội lợi dụng chức vụ quyền hạn trong khi thi hành công vụ nhưng cụ thể là lợi dụng thế nào thì chưa ai biết cả. Nếu theo báo Thanh Niên, sai phạm của anh Nguyễn Việt Chiến ở chỗ đưa tin Bùi Tiến Dũng khai đã đưa tiền chạy án cho gần 40 nhân vật quan trọng, thì không đáng phải xử lý hình sự. Hẳn bên trong đó phải còn điều gì khuất tất.”
Ly Thong, of Hanoi, believes the current situation is a symptom of a greater struggle within government. Ly writes in a comment to an article in the English language Asia Sentinel on May 20th,
“This is a sign of disunity between the factions wresting for power within the communist party. The powerful conservative faction headed by the pro-Chinese (and pro-Russian) faction Nong Duc Manh want to deal a heavy blow at the more radical faction who want to combat corruption and inch towards the Western democracies…”
Chuong, a Vietnamese-Canadian, eloquently criticizes the Vietnamese government from Ontario,
“Các nhà báo viết về vụ PMU 18 đều bị bắt, cộng thêm thiếu tướng Nguyễn Xuân Quắc cũng cùng chung số phận, tôi càng không biết Việt Nam nằm đâu trên thước đo công lý, công bằng xã hội và tự do dân chủ của người dân…”
One journalist, Huy Minh of the Vietnam News Agency, is taking it all in stride,
“Khi ông Nguyễn Việt Tiến còn bị giam giữ, tôi đã đọc một bài báo đăng tải hình ảnh ông Tiến cầm guitare và hát. Hình ảnh đó làm tôi chững lại và suy nghĩ, ông Tiến, trước hết cũng là một con người, với biết bao vui buồn của ông ấy…. Tôi chỉ có một câu hỏi thế này thôi: ‘Tại sao, trong vụ án này, lại có quá nhiều, quá nhiều người buồn đến vậy?. Tôi cũng đang như anh Việt Chiến, “bất lực trong cách giải thích” và cũng chẳng có gì cả, “ngoài những nỗi buồn”.’”
Minh has got something right, albeit unintentional. In Vietnam, the press is kept on a short leash, but occasionally a brave reporter is able to force change. These reporters knew better than anyone the tenuous ground on which they stood and took a calculated risk. Instead, drawing attention drawn to the fate of whistleblowers both highlights the press’ situation in Vietnam but also promotes fear of reporting the truth.

author: Caroline Finlay


text:
Vietnam: Ex-Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet passes away · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Lemon Juice Bruce mentions the initial reactions of world leaders over the death of former Vietnamese Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet.


text:
Afghanistan: Toward Genuine “Afghanization” · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Barnett R. Rubin offers a guest post by Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh, PhD, Director of the Center for Studies of International Relations (CERI) Program for Peace and Human Security, CERI/Institute of Political Science, Paris. Her article was scheduled to appear in Le Figaro on June 12, the day of the International Conference in Support of Afghanistan in Paris, but did not appear due to an “industrial action”.


text:
Argentina: Restoration of Recoleta Cemetery · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina continues with its restoration projects on various crypts and vaults writes AfterLife.

author: Eduardo Avila


text:
Bangladesh: Meeting Dr Yunus · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

a bengali in TO attends a talk by Dr Mohammed Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on micro-lending.


text:
Barbados, Venezuela: Maritime Claim  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Notes From The Margin sheds some light on the Barbados/Venezuela maritime controversy, saying: “The waters under discussion can ONLY be Venezuela's if you accept that
1. Half of Guyana is actually Venezuela.
2. That two countries (Venezuela and Trinidad) can commit a third and fourth countries (Barbados and Guyana)  to some form of agreement…without consulting them.”


text:
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Biggest Bosnian Coffee Pot · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A picture of “the world's biggest Bosnian coffee pot” – “cheesy tourist fun! :)” – at YakimaGulagLiteraryGazett.


text:
Brazil: The Black President Before Obama · Global Voices
Jose Murilo

The sweeping Obama phenomenon has caught Brazil, and it comes as no surprise in the country with the world's largest population of African descendants. Blogs are commenting on all things Obama, from his stand on ethanol to the ‘rumors‘ of his appraisal of Brazil's free software policies. An especially notable thread is the one reporting on the resurgence of a weirdly interesting 1928 Brazilian sci-fi novel — ‘The Black President’ — that predicted a US election matching a black, a feminist, and a conservative candidate in the then remote year of 2228.
The author, Monteiro Lobato, is very famous in Brazil for his tales for children and teens. The set of books ‘Yellow Woodpecker Ranch‘ was turned into popular TV series that reigned supreme on Brazilian tubes through 5 different remakes — the first in 1952, and most recently in 2001. But, in this case, the book is an obscure and rare incursion of Lobato into adult science fiction. The resurgence of interest in it now is totally connected with what stands out as an incredible intuitive guesswork on what has come to be our present situation, but 80 years ago (!) almost unimaginable.
Para a maior parte do público leitor brasileiro, Monteiro Lobato (1882-1948) é lembrado pelos episódios da série O Sítio do Pica Pau Amarelo. Muitos, porém, desconhecem a “obra para adultos” que Monteiro Lobato escreveu… Originalmente publicado em 1926, como folhetim, no jornal A Manhã, (onde recebeu o título de “O Choque das Raças”, hoje seu subtítulo), “O Presidente Negro” é uma obra duplamente curiosa: primeiramente por se tratar de uma ficção científica, gênero pouco cultivado entre os escritores brasileiros; e em segundo lugar porque em sua trama retrata o debate científico e intelectual vigente nas primeiras décadas do século XX.
O Presidente Negro de Monteiro Lobato – ALPHARRÁBIO – por Viegas Fernandes da Costa
The huge coincidence with the US elections was enough to turn “The Black President” into ‘cult’ reading, although some other of Lobato's predictions, such as his description of the Internet, have also attracted the attention of commenters. The contorted political psychology of the triangle that binds the white male, the feminist, and the black candidate is also apparent.
O Presidente Negro é um livro assustador. Assustador em vários sentidos. Primeiro pelo caráter premonitório da obra. Em 1926, Lobato prevê a invenção de um tipo de radiotransmissão de dados que possibilitaria o ser humano a cumprir suas tarefas da própria casa e sem a necessidade de se deslocar para o trabalho. Fala também do desaparecimento do jornal impresso porque as notícias serão “radiadas” diretamente para a casa dos indivíduos e aparecerão em caracteres luminosos numa tela – exatamente como acontece com quem está lendo esse texto. Em uma palavra atual: internet. Mas as premonições não param por aí. Às vésperas de viajar para os Estados Unidos como adido comercial da embaixada brasileira, Monteiro Lobato preconiza a eleição de um presidente negro nos EUA. O momento político (no ano de 2228) que possibilitaria isso viria da divisão da raça branca, entre um candidato do Partido Masculino (Kerlog) e uma candidata do Partido Feminino (Evelyn Astor). A neofeminista Evelyn Astor está com a vitória praticamente garantida e eis que surge o líder negro Jim Roy, que acaba eleito presidente.
O Presidente Negro. Um livro assustador – Acerto de Contas
As guerras igualmente foram extintas, tão logo os Ministérios da Guerra foram trocados pelos da Paz. Apesar disso, os EUA estão prestes a mergulhar no caos e no sangue às vésperas da eleição de seu 88º presidente, de tal forma o pleito cindiu a população. De um lado, estão agrupados os milhões de eleitores pretos, que apóiam Jim Roy, da Associação Negra. De outro, as mulheres brancas que seguem a candidata do Partido Feminino, miss Evelyn Astor. E, por fim, há os homens brancos, que preferem a reeleição de Kerlog pelo Partido Masculino, que fundiu o Democrata e o Republicano. Eis o essencial da trama: não apenas um choque de raças, mas também uma guerra de sexos. Os homens brancos, a fim de embranquecer os EUA, planejam enviar os negros para a Amazônia, que já não é parte do Brasil. Nosso país foi dividido em dois, independentes: o Norte, de atávica malemolência, e o Sul bem-sucedido, a “grande República do Paraná”, que engloba ainda a Argentina, o Uruguai e o Paraguai.
Monteiro Lobato… Um Profeta? – Resistência Democrática
Even in some of his far-out references, Lobato seems to keep throwing light on images that, if not real, are quite recurrent to say the least. But, on a closer inspection, his plot reveals clearly that, although getting it right on the surface, his interpretation of the signals were often projections of weird concepts. In fact, what previously called attention to this book — prior to the current historical coincidence with the US elections — was the evidence of Lobato's sympathy with Eugenics, a racist social philosophy that acquired some followers in Brazil during the 20s and 30s, and advocates the improvement of human hereditary traits through various forms of intervention, mainly segregating races.
Miss Jane, filha de Benson, é quem verbaliza as idéias de Lobato: “Que é América senão a feliz zona que desde o início atraiu os elementos mais eugênicos das melhores raças européias? Onde há força vital da raça branca senão lá?”. Defendendo a segregação americana, acrescenta sobre a miscigenação brasileira: “Nossa solução foi medíocre. Estragou as duas raças, fundindo-as. O negro perdeu as suas admiráveis qualidades físicas de selvagem e o branco sofreu a inevitável piora de caráter, conseqüente a todos os cruzamentos entre raças díspares”.
Racismo à Brasileira – Bravo Online
Indeed, Obama is definitely not the black candidate of Lobato's tale, but rather the result of a political, cultural and genetic mix with whites. There is a core difference between the societal position of African descendants in Brazil (more mixed) and in the US (more separated), but Obama's surge is perceived by some Brazilians as the result of the 70s US affirmative action policies in which these social programs appear now as the game changer.
From a Brazilian perspective, the inevitable question that Afro-descendants are asking themselves now is what has made Obama's success possible in the US — with their ‘segregation’ and separatism — while an analogous situation in more mixed Brazil still looks like a distant dream, far from becoming a reality.
Contrariando expectativas que já duram mais de cem anos, no Brasil, “país com a maior população afro-descendente fora da África”, “negros e pardos vão superar o número de brancos neste ano” de 2008… As afirmações, acompanhadas da constatação de que o país “não tem um único político negro de projeção nacional”, vem a propósito da candidatura do senador Barack Obama à presidência dos Estados Unidos… Atrasados em pelo menos cinqüenta anos com relação às conquistas sociais do povo negro nos Estados Unidos, no Brasil, nós, herdeiros do mesmo brutal despojamento que plasmou a sociedade norte-americana (e do qual Obama, esclareça-se, não é vítima direta) vimos sendo, há mais de 120 anos forçados a acreditar que neste país “alegremente mestiço e desracializado”, nunca houve segregação nem ku-klux-klan, e que nossa inferioridade deve-se apenas a problemas econômicos e pode ser zerada com boas escolas e boas merendas para todos.
OBAMA, SUA ÉPOCA E O SONHO – AldeiaGriot
In the developing debate over affirmative action and the different perspectives on quota schemes in Brazil it is quite natural to see Obama's sucess in terms of long-standing tensions, but the effects of his possible election may reverberate differently in the many different layers of culture. If he is elected, the deep psychology that underlies the appearence of such an archetypal persona in history will become a part of the social-political-cultural debate.
Some bloggers are aware of this Obama inherited complexity that is helping to transcend the obvious polarities.
Quando, anos mais tarde, condenou a Guerra do Iraque, ele argumentaria com base nas conclusões que tirou da vida. Seus pais tentaram se reinventar abandonando as tradições e, no processo, perderam a própria identidade. A tradição é o que dá liga à sociedade. Perante a mudança, a tradição sempre resiste. Mudança, na história, vem a passos lentos. Para ele, há ingenuidade no ideal do sonho americano de que idéias, por si, causam grandes mudanças. Idéias não bastam. Barack Obama, como o descreveu Larissa MacFarquhar num perfil para a revista The New Yorker, ‘é profundamente conservador’. Democracia não seria simplesmente imposta num país onde ela jamais existira.
Quem é e o que pensa Barack Obama? – Pedro Dória Weblog
From Lobato's black president prevailing in a context of separation to the complex profile of Barack Obama in a world of emergent possibilities appears now as the measure of political change.

author: Jose Murilo


text:
Bulgaria: Gay Pride on June 28 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Petya of Bighead writes about the upcoming gay pride parade in Sofia: “… I've already seen notes from the Bulgarian major nationalist party urging their supporters to organize a counter-protest…At any rate, it is so insane, I am embarrassed to even translate it.”


text:
Bulgaria, Romania: Labor Migrants · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Nicolaus Mills explains at Comment is Free why Britain hasn't seen the much-feared “‘tidal wave’ of immigrants” from Bulgaria and Romania.


text:
Burkina Faso: Highway banditry · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

Burkinabe blogger QuophyBlogeur writes about employees of the Ghanaian company, STC and their harrowing encounter with an illegal roadblock [Fr] set up by bandits with AK-47s.

author: Jennifer Brea


text:
China: A glimpse at Olympic garden sculptures · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Safin at FunEnclave posts a series of photos of artistic garden sculptures done in preparation for the upcoming Beijing Olympics.
Writes reader patch01:
Might as well do something nice for the tourists, I'm guessing that the 30,000 displaced families, whose homes were levelled to make way for the games, aren't going to be as impressed……………


text:
China: Beijing students forced out for Olympics? · Global Voices
John Kennedy

In ‘Beijing University Students Booted from Dorms for Olympics,’ Truth From Facts blogger nator gets a tip-off to that effect from a friend, in the form of an A4 notice, and goes online to see what those at other Beijing campuses are going through.


text:
China: Kungfu Panda · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Heicaitou blogs some photos of a demonstration demanding the China SARFT to ban the movie “Kungfu Panda”.


text:
China: Learn Chinese for the Olympics · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Via FreeLanguage.org we find that Chinese education 2.0 site ChinesePod.com has prepared a curriculum set especially for Olympic visitors, covering everything from dealing with mosquito bites to the Beijing dialect to getting around the Olympic Village.


text:
China: Olympic mascots from the past · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Raider_dad at Fark.com forums posts a link to a list of all Olympic mascots dating back to 1968. Seeing Amik the Montreal beaver, reader Visceral Realist quips: “1976 looks nothing like the beavers I've seen.” See if you recognize (or remember) the rest here.


text:
China: Olympic torch passes over Tibet · Global Voices
John Kennedy

The BeijingWideOpen blogger is watching closely as the Beijing Olympic torch skipped over Tibet today and went straight to Xinjiang.


text:
China: Prepping for Beijing · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Head of Sports Science and Research of the British Olympic Association Marco Cardinale looks back at recent posts on his blog and elsewhere as his preparations for the Beijing Olympics heat up.


text:
China: Press ID · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Zan Ai-zong writes in inmediahk.net about the government monopoly in the issuing of press card in China [zh]. The practice results in the direct control over journalists or some news agencies would sell the card to individual at very high price.


text:
Costa Rica: Diesel Subsidy · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Rigo of Tico Blog Libertad [es] is relieved that the Costa Rican government continues to subsidize diesel and which is what his car runs on, especially  in light of the rising fuel prices.


text:
Croatia: Entry Visas for Albanians · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Albanian Blogger relates his frustrating experience of getting Croatian entry visas for himself and his colleagues.


text:
Cuba: Review of Sanctions  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Both Babalu and Child of the Revolution blog about the European Union‘s upcoming decision on whether or not to end sanctions on Cuba.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


text:
Czech Republic: Anti-Globalization Rally · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Czech Daily Word writes about the anti-globalization rally that took place in Brno this past Saturday, and about the way some of the activists were treated by the riot police.


text:
Estonia: Tax System · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

AnTyx writes about Estonian economic policies and tax system.


text:
Hungary: 50 Years Since Imre Nagy’s Execution · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Spectrum and ExecutedToday.com write about the 50th anniversary of the execution of prime minister Imre Nagy.


text:
Hungary: Violence Against Roma · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Spectrum writes about the Hungarian extreme right and the anti-Roma violence.


text:
India: Clothes and Women · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Bohemian Rhapsody from India writes on the obsession with labeling women on the basis of the clothes they wear.


text:
India: Watching the News · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

DesiDabba on the state of TV news in India, focusing mostly on high profile crimes.


text:
Iraq: 10 Things I Hate About My Colleagues  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Neurotic Iraqi Wife shares with us 10 things she hates about her colleagues at work in the enclosed Green Zone.


text:
Iraq: Breaking Stereotypes  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi Khalid Jarrar is in stitches that his brother's Canadian fiancée had ridden camels twice before his Arab brother.


text:
Iraq: Hospitals Getting Better · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi hospital care is improving, notes Inside Iraq in this post.


text:
Iraq: Return of a Kidnapped Neighbour  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi Sunshine shares with us different aspects of her life in this post – the return of a kidnapped neighbour, sitting her physics exam and extracting her wisdom tooth.


text:
Jamaica: Reggae Sumfest  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

After the recent sponsorship controversy surrounding Jamaica's Reggae Sumfest festival, Montego Bay Day By Day is happy to report that “the show shall indeed go on…which is a good thing for the local businesses…”


text:
Japan: Iwate-Miyagi Inland Earthquake · Global Voices
Hanako Tokita

On June 14, an inland earthquake reaching M7.2 on the Richter scale struck the Tohoku region of Japan. In Iwate and Miyagi, the hardest hit prefectures, 10 have been confirmed dead, about a dozen are missing, and more than 200 people have been injured. Although the death toll was relatively small, given that the areas in the vicinity of the epicenter are mostly mountainous, the ground acceleration level during Saturday's earthquake was recorded at 4,022, the highest ever observed in Japan.
Blogger mique writes:
もろに6強をくらった実家でしたが，親兄弟は無事だそうです。道路×・鉄道×なので，連絡が取れたのは助かりました。てか，地震起きた瞬間ちょうど親と電話してました。電話の向こうからガチャガチャ音がしてものが落ちているのがわかりました。テレビ見ていて，生まれた市の名前が連呼されててなんだか変な気分です。母方のおばあちゃんがけがをしたらしく，すごく不安です。
Blogger shinamon describes their experience of the earthquake:
けさ、私の住む宮城県を含んだ地域で、
大きな地震が発生しました。
そのとき、私は仙台駅のホームで東京行きの
新幹線を待っていたところでした。
大きなゆれで、かなり怖かったです。
[…]
新幹線が動き出す見込みがつかなかったので、東京行きは
断念。
駅を出て、そのまま職場に向かうことにしました。私の職場は、
土日も学生がアルバイトとして勤務しているのです。
タクシー乗り場に行くと、ガラスが散乱していました。
ホテルの上の階のガラスが割れて落ちてきたようです。
幸い、ケガ人はなかったもよう。
職場の建物も学生さんも無事でした。
もともと、宮城県は地震が多いところです。
ただ、地震の震源はたいてい宮城県沖か岩手県沖。
内陸震源は少ないんです。ただ、2年ほど前に、宮城県
内陸震源の震度６強の地震があったとは思いますが。
また、宮城県は30年以内に大地震がくる確立が90％と
言われています。でも、今回の地震はそれではない気が
します。
Blogger simatyu describes their reaction to the earthquake:
時間が経つにつれ被害の大きさが見えてきました。山１つ丸ごと崩れてしまっていて驚きと怖さを感じます。
そして考えてしまうのは同じ規模の地震が東京に来たらどうなってしまうのだろうということ。
考えるだけでも恐ろしくなります。東京都心直下型の大地震が来ないことをただただ祈るばかりです。
また、被災された方々が早く元通りの暮らしが出来るようになればよいなぁと思います。

author: Hanako Tokita


text:
Jordan: A New Lease of Life for Dwwen · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Arab bloggers held their breath waiting for an announcement on the fate of popular Arab blog aggregator Dwwen.  After a bit of uncertainty, the all clear was given and it is business as usual for the site which brings together Arab bloggers, writing posts in Arabic and English, under one roof.
Site developer Jordanian blogger Tariq Abu Zaid announced that yesterday was the last day for the site. He wrote [Ar]:
سيتم إغلاق موقع دوّن بتاريخ 15/6/2008 لعدم قدرتنا على الاستمرار في العمل في الموقع مع غياب الدعم المادي.
يرجى من جميع من قامو باستخدام الويدجت او اية ارتباطات مع موقع دوّن القيام بحذفها لأنها لن تكون متوفرة بعد 15/6.
جزيل الشكر لكل من قدم الدعم لموقع دوّن.
Dwwen will be closed from June 15, 2008, due to our inability to continue working on the site in the absence of financial support. We call upon all those who have used our widgets or linked to us to delete the links as they will not be available after that date. Thanks to all those who have supported Dwwen.
Hala, from Jordan too, was one of many bloggers to express their dismay. She wrote:
صباح اليوم، كان أول موقع زرته هو دوّن، ليس فقط لأتابع آخر مستجدات المدونات كما اعتدت دوماً، بل أيضاً لأعرف إن كان هناك أخبار جديدة حول توقف الموقع، وهو الموضوع الذي أزعجني جداً عندما سمعته حيث أن دوّن كان دوماً المصدر الأساسي لمعظم المدونين، ودليل المدونات الرئيسي الذي يتابع المدونون
من خلاله أخبار المدونات من مختلف البلاد
Dwwen was the first site I visited today, not to follow the latest developments on blogs as I have become accustomed to, but to also learn if there is new information about the site's closure. This is a matter that has disturbed me as Dwwen has always been the primary source for most bloggers and the main directory for those who follow bloggers and the posts they write from different countries.
The distressing situation was diffused with a simple announcement on Dwwen's blog [Ar]:
مدونة دوّن تعود للعمل مجددا. تابعوا جديد دوّن هنا.
Dwwen resumes work. Follow our latest developments here.


text:
Jordan: Attacks which will not happen  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian blogger Hareega asks how come the UK is able to warn of terrorist attacks in the UAE — but not when they happen on its own turf. “Do they just warn us from the attacks that will not happen?” he asks.


text:
Jordan: Queen’s Message  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian Jad  posts a YouTube message featuring Queen Rania of Jordan, who calls upon people to dispel some of the stereotypes people have on Arabs.


text:
Kazakhstan: General prosecutor reaches out to Austria · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Adam reports that the Kazakhstan's General Prosecutor visites Austria in an apparent attempt to foster extradition of the disgraced former presidential son-in-law Rakhat Aliyev.

author: Adil Nurmakov


text:
Kazakhstan: Living Under Cult  · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The main discussion this week in Kazakhstani blogosphere was caused by the suggestion that was voiced by a number of MPs to rename the capital city Astana to Nursultan, in the honor of the long-ruling president Nursultan Nazarbayev, who retains power for more than 18 years already. It is worth noting that he was the one who initiated the move of a capital from Almaty to Akmola, which was later renamed – again at the nazarbayev's initiative – into Astana (“the capital” in Kazakh). He is also presented as the “main architect” of the city, which proves to be not just his “pet project”, but a also huge illustration to the Dutch disease with all its grand but useless expenditures.
Adam says [ru]:
The MPs showed the best example of gross flattery and promotion of the Turkmen-style personality cult by making a present to the president's birthday and the 10th anniversary of Astana, which by the way happen to be on the same day.
Slavasay is ironic [ru]:
What a timely and courageous suggestion! I recommend not to stop by renaming the Capital. Almaty should be renamed into Nazarbayev. It would be cool to take a flight from Nazarbayev to Nursultan in the morning and from Nursultan to Nazarbayev in the evening.
Itsuken was anxious: “There is only one party in the parliament, so probably they will do it” [ru]. However, the president himself was very straightforward in rejecting the suggestion, saying that this issue is in the competence of the future generations. Meanwhile, the rumors about the possible new parliamentary elections are getting more well-shaped in official statements. The last election were held last year, but resulted in the one-party parliament, which is quite embarrassing for a future OSCE chairman-in-office. Megakhuimyak opines [ru]:
The opposition party AZAT was re-registered with the Ministry of Justice in a one-month term – it is approximately the same time as the propresidential Nur Otan party earlier. The opposition's main media outlet “Svoboda Slova” [“Freedom of speech” Weekly] is distributed by the state agency KazPost – until recently even private newspaper sellers had hard times with it. The Central Election Commission does not exclude the chance that the threshold for parties will be reduced from 7 to 5 per cent. It seems that the new parliamentary elections will let AZAT enter the legislature in the capacity of a “constructive uncompromising liberal opposition”.
It is hard to suggest that the new parliament would substantially improve the governance in Kazakhstan, which experiences serious problems in all fields. Ehot informs that the first Kazakhstani sputnik KAZSAT, which was widely and heavily advertised as the “breakthrough” project of the country, has been lost. In another post he asks rhetorically [ru]:
When will we feel the cumulative effect of decompensation following the continuing aggravation of unprofessionalism and corruption?
Meanwhile, Mantrov reports that according to the Statistics Agency of Kazakhstan, the salary in Kazakhstan makes up 57,897 tenge (~480$):
Certainly, such stats can't be deemed unbiased due to huge gap between the rich and the poor in Kazakhstan. These figures more likely reflect the growth of well-being among the rich people. Thus, according to the report released by Citi Private Bank and Knight Frank, the number of dollar millionaires in Kazakhstan increased by 8 per cent over the last year in Kazakhstan,
he says [ru].
Also posted on neweurasia.net.


text:
Kazakhstan: Petrodollars, English Teachers · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Adam links to a blog-post saying that Kazakhstan has decided to attract English-language teachers from abroad and pay tham 2-5,000 dollars a month.


text:
Kuwait: Twitter Addict  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Kuwaiti blogger Angelo is now a self-confessed Twitter addict.


text:
Latvia: Flags and Commemorations · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Baltic writes about flag-flying and commemoration days in Latvia.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


text:
Lithuania: Deportations Anniversary · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Lituanica writes about the 67th anniversary of the mass deportations of Lithuanians to Siberia.


text:
Lithuania: Lietuva · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Bieksia’s Weblog suggests changing Lithuania's official English name to “Lietuva” – which is Lithuania's name in Lithuanian.


text:
Morocco: Websites and Newspapers  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

With the world going digital, many newspapers are meeting the challenge by making their news pages accessible online. The Arab world is no different. Moroccan blogger M S Hjiouij [Ar] complains about the standard of a popular newspaper's website in this post.
He says:
لو أردت أن أتحدث عن الإنترنت المغربي فلن أنتهي أبدًا، وأنتم تعرفون ولعي بالتركيز على أنصاف الأكواب الفارغة. سأكتفي هذه المرة بفقرة واحدة:
طيلة ساعات وأنا أحاول الوصول إلى موقع جريدة المساء المغربية التي تعتبر الأكثر شعبية على الإطلاق في المغرب. لكن بدون فائدة. الموقع كأنه مقبرة سيارة أو مزبلة خردة. قد نقبل أن تكون مواقع الجرائد الأخرى التي لا يقرأها حتى صحفيوها سيئة ورديئة وغير قابلة للوصول. لكن أن يكون موقع الجريدة الأكثر مبيعا، والأكثر دخلا، كوجه إمرأة مصاب بالجذام، وفوق ذلك تتواصل الأعطاب التقنية بشكل شبه دائم فإن الأمر لا يطاق. وفي الأخير تنشر الجريدة بكل فخر أن عدد زوار موقعها يحطم الأرقام القياسية! طبعا هو يحطم الأرقام القياسية لأنه المستخدم يواصل تحديث الصفحة مئة مرة حتى يظهر له نص المقال كاملا
If I wanted to discuss the Moroccan internet scene, we would never hear the end of it. You know my fascination with focusing on half-empty cups. I will be content this time with one paragraph:
For hours I have been trying to access Al Massa's newspaper website. The paper is considered the most popular ever in Morocco. I had no luck. The site looked like a scrapyard. We can accept the fact that the sites of other newspapers whose journalists don't even read them to be bad and inaccessible – but it is unacceptable for the paper with the largest circulation and income to have a website which consistently suffers from technical problems. At the end, the paper announces that the number of people who visit its website has broken previous records! The number of visitors will of course hit new records as readers have to refresh their pages 100 times for them to be able to read half an article.


text:
Russia, U.S.: Entry Visas · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A Budapest-based American writes at Pestiside.hu about the painful process of getting a Russian entry visa.


text:
Sri Lanka: A Revolution · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Kottu urges that a revolution is the only answer for Sri Lanka's troubles.


text:
The Balkans: Ingeborg Beugel · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Say: Macedonia quotes from an interview with Ingeborg Beugel, “a Dutch reporter and author of several documentaries about the crimes committed in Bosnia”: “In an interview for the online site Sarajevo-x.com, she talks about the rise of the Greek nationalism and the participation of Greek mercenaries in the war in Bosnia, including the Srebrenica massacre.”


text:
Togolese singer Vanessa Worou · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

Kangi Alem writes of Togolese singer Vanessa Worou [Fr]: “at times a little reminiscent of [Angelique] Kidjo, but on the whole, confidently sung and with a simple, effective orchestration.”


text:
Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti: Small Shoes  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidad and Tobago-based artist Chris Cozier posts a photo of a child's shoes taken on his last trip to Haiti: “Something about the way that the shoes had become so worn out struck me.  They looked like islands in the sea but also like the two countries that make one island facing off.”


text:
Trinidad & Tobago: Pot Hounds · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Andre Bagoo posts a flickr photoset of street dogs, saying: “‘Pot hounds’ and the environments they inhabit are the perfect symbols for life in Trinidad and Tobago today.”


text:
Zimbabwe: WOZA members released · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise have been released from prison: Eleven of the 14 WOZA members arrested on 28th May 2008 were finally released from remand prison on bail on Friday evening (13th June) after 17 days in custody.


text:
Armenia: A1 Plus European Court Ruling · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Six years after it was effectively removed from the airwaves, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has finally ruled in favor of the A1 Plus TV Station. Known for its criticism of the authorities, A1 Plus failed to win a tender for its own broadcasting frequency in April 2002. The disappearance of the station from television screens was seen as politically motivated as the country entered the period leading up to the disputed 2003 presidential election.
Demonstration in support of A1 Plus in 2002 after it was taken off the air, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia
The loss of the TV station saw the main medium for the dissemination of news to the population totally controlled by economic or political forces close to the authorities. And despite subsequent tenders and calls from international bodies such as the Council of Europe as well as local civil society to allow the station to resume broadcasting, it still remains off the air.
A1 Plus Director Mesrop Movsesyan confronted by police during a 2007 protest action to mark the fifth anniversary of the station being taken off the airwaves, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia
The Armenian Observer reports on the ruling by the European Court.
I just heard the best news for the Freedom of Speech in Armenia in the course of the past 7 years! A1plus has won the case against the RA Government in the European Court of Human Rights.
[…]
The Armenian authorities will have to pay EUR 30,000 to A1plus – which is of course very little, but what is more important, is the precedent. Admittedly, the Armenian government has been loosing case after case in the European Court of Human Rights in the recent months. […]
Unzipped congratulates A1 Plus on its belated victory, but also notes that the ruling does not mean that the station will resume broadcasting. However, the blogger thinks, it does increase pressure on the government to allow it back.
Congratulations to A1+ TV company, its journalists, anyone who cares about media freedom in Armenia, and anyone who wants to see Armenia a better place to live.
This decision does not mean that A1+ will have to get back on the air, i.e. it does not oblige government to do so. […]
[…]
From now on, the legality of depriving A1+ its broadcasting rights is no longer there, on a formal, European level. Of course, Armenian authorities may wish to downplay it, limiting their liabilities to paying 30 000 euro to A1+ for damages and expenses (as stated in a Court decision). But they can no longer ignore it.
Demonstration in support of A1 Plus in 2004
Nazarian, however, is less than convinced.
In practice, this means very little for the rights of the Armenian citizens. It simply means that the Armenian government can suppress free speech for one easy payment of 30,000 Euros.
[…]
Who thinks that the Armenian government will fix the problem rather than put a small amount aside to pay people after suppressing their free speech?
Blogrel also offers its opinion on the matter.
It is unclear what this will behold for the tv company itself, but this gives strong weight A1plus’ long established view that they were effectively forced off the air for political reasons, pro government sources claim their tender bids were not of a high enough standard to compete.
Considering today we have one tv channel owned by a businessman who sits and talks to you all day about how great he is, one channel that seems to show nothing but adverts for cars in between an occasional Russian show, and one channel that does nothing but rebroadast another channel – I am unsure what A1plus’s tender proposal must have been.
Only a blank screen 24 hours a day could be worse – or perhaps better, these days?
Regardless, the embattled TV station has increasingly looked towards other mediums to continue its work. In May last year, for example, A1 Plus set up its own blog and during the recent state of emergency following the disputed February presidential election, its YouTube Channel was one of the most popular.
Incidentally, there is an interview from April 2002 with the station's Director, Mesrop Movsesyan, conducted by myself on the day following the decision which saw A1 Plus stop broadcasting here.
A1 Plus Director Mesrop Movsesyan after the European Court Ruling yesterday, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia
Photos: © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2002-8

author: Onnik Krikorian


text:
Armenia: Internet, Telecoms Services Improve · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Armenian Observer says it is happy now that the newly rebranded Beeline company is offering ADSL Internet services at $40 a month. It also reports that 3G mobile telecommunications services have finally arrived in Armenia.


text:
Armenia: Ukrainian Color Revolutionary Visit · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

And Nothing Else Matters [RU] comments on a recent visit by a prominent architect of the Ukrainian Orange Revolution to Armenia, highlighting the fact that the activist's own blog shows Dmirtri Potekhin in the country. In a second post, the blog says that consultations were held with the leader of the radical opposition to advise on how to minimize the risk of bloodshed during protest demonstrations.


text:
Bahamas, Venezuela: PetroCaribe  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Rick Lowe at Weblog Bahamas cannot believe that the question of the Bahamas joining PetroCaribe appears to be on the table once again, adding that the move “would drastically and quickly increase the national debt of The Bahamas. Something we can ill afford in these very trying economic times.”


text:
Bangladesh: Cultural signifiers · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Unheard Voicesem> wonders why the Bangladeshi diaspora doesn't celebrate certain aspects of culture and literature.


text:
Bangladesh: Ignored by all · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Bangladesh From Our View on the eunuchs who live on the fringes of society, ignored by the government and NGOs.


text:
Belarus: Minsk · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Darkness at Noon shares his observations about Minsk.


text:
Bermuda: Hide and Seek  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As the list of watchdog organisations speaking out against the Bermudian government's clampdown on a local newspaper continues to grow, Vexed Bermoothes asks: “What is there to hide?”


text:
China: Happy to Become Earthquake Ghost · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A propaganda poem published in a Shandong newspapers has been called by netizen “the most shameless piece”. (via webbbs) The poem written by the vice president of Shandong Writers Association said that “1.3 billion people cried together, even one has become ghost, s/he should be happy”, “Wish the tomb can have a screen, so that they can watch the Olympics and cheer together”.

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
China: No vlogging the Olympics · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Reporter-blogger ProState in Flames writes today of Deputy Director General of China's National Copyright Administration Xu Chao's recent statement that the filming of Olympic events for the purpose of blogging has been banned and will be considered copyright violation.
Asks the second commenter on the post: “May I know to whom it is that copyright for the Olympics belongs?”

author: John Kennedy


text:
Europe: Football and Politics · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Desmond McGrath of A Fistful of Euros writes about football and politics: “Part of the fun of football is the way in which it overturns the international order of power politics.”


text:
Europe: Ideas for Cold War Museum · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Economist's Ceratin Ideas of Europe blog welcomes exhibit ideas for a Cold War museum that may be built “on a site near the old ‘Checkpoint Charlie’ border-crossing point in Berlin.” One reader suggests “a section on anti-communist humour.”