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Pakistan: Another 9/11, We are Burning · Global Voices
Muhammad Farhan

Yesterday night, about 8 PM local time, Islamabad was rocked with the worst suicide attack ever in the history of Pakistan. This attack was carried outside Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. It is being said that about 1000 KG explosive material was used in this attack that resulted in the casualties of at least 67 and injuries of at least 203 people. This attack is being termed as “Pakistan's 9/11″ by the officials. Pakistanis from all fields have expressed their anger and condemned this cowardly and deadly attempt.
Pakistani Blogosphere also expressed various opinions, some associated the attacks to the Taliban, militants, and Indian involvement while others called it a result of American policies.
Dr. Hassan Asfahani at The Pakistani Spectator blames the officials. He states:
If this attack has been carried out by the Taliban, then how it is possible that they got the car without any scanning all the way through FATA to Islamabad? That is not possible.
That means that the terrorists have the inside help and network fully active in Islamabad and it’s adjoining areas. Just last month a gory attack was carried out in Wah Cantt, a suburb of Islamabad, where more than 200 people died. Last year, an attack was carried out the plane of Pervez Musharraf in Rawalpindi, and all those people had insider help.
People are also associating this attack with the Delhi Blasts, concluding that RAW could be involved in it. Dr. Awab Alvi at Teeth Maestro analyzes:
It is my analysis that the Indian spy agency RAW is the most likely to have a hand in this blast more in retaliation to the recent blasts in India. To make a killing blow on the eve of President Zardari speech to the joint session is a brilliant ploy to over shadow Zardari’s new making comments.
What can we do !!! Simply sitting at home, writing emails and sending SMS’s will achieve nothing and the terrorists will run our country to the ground. If you believe in Pakistan we need to join hands and say STOP TO TERRORISM, mind you this STOP means a full out right condemnation against Talibans, against the American raids on Pakistan and our local armed uprising.
Here's what Adnan Siddiqi has to say:
The question is, what have we been doing? What I see we always became victim of propaganda which at times turned true too but then we usually ignored to figure out whether the things which are told to us are actually true or not.
In last two decades when every bad incident happened, we were told that Ghair Mulki Hath is involved. Usually that ghair mulki hath (external hand) was India. I say if India is really involved then why don’t we have balls to say it clearly while our all governments say that they had proof too? When people asked it was said that it’s due to national interest.
We Cite declares it as a symptom of state of war:
“War has come to Pakistan’s door step a long time ago. It is most unfortunate that even till yesterday, many of us denied this fact. Not any more. Not when War has pushed in to our house and is now in our living rooms, in our bedrooms, in our backyards, every where around us.
Pakistan is under attack!”
Almost every Pakistani blog has written much about this terror attempt, I wish I could quote all of them. For ages, people have been blaming Pakistan to be the responsible of terrorism. In fact we are the one who have suffered the most out of this terrorism, We've been targeted and at the end, these are innocent Pakistanis who die unnatural and horrible death.

author: Muhammad Farhan


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Pakistan bleeds again · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pakistan capital Islamabad was rocked by a massive explosion outside Hotel Marriott yesterday. A truck carrying 1000 Kg (1 ton) of explosive materials entered Marriott Hotel at around 8 PM local time and the driver blew himself up first and then the truck was blown up in a massive explosion. This was the second bomb blast at the hotel in less than a year.
Yasir Khan broke the news at Chowrangi:
“The bomb blast left behind a crater more than 100 feet wide and 20 feet deep with fire and destruction all around it, the intensity of the blast was such that all the buildings within a radius of 500 meters received some damage and was heard all over Islamabad.”
Shahid Javed reports in Saada -e-Shahid:
There were information that such an event was expected yesterday due to which high security was provided around the Parliament House, Chief Minister Secretariat and the Presidency. The suicide bomber found that he was not able to enter these areas so he decided to blast in Marriott Hotel where hundreds of Pakistani and foreign nationals were gathered for the Iftar parties.
CNN has this cctv footage (click the ‘Truck Bombing in Pakistan’ video) which shows that there was a gap of at least 3 minutes between the first explosion and the massive explosion.  Asma Mirza and Adil Nazam posts pictures and videos of the blasts in All things Pakistan. The blog also lists the major attacks in pakistan this year.
Hamid Mir at Pak Tea house posts some horrifying accounts of the blasts:
“I was very close to Marriott Hotel and reached the spot within a few minutes of the terrible blast. By that time only a few police constables from the nearby Frontier House and Balochistan House were trying to rescue the drivers who got killed sitting in their cars parked outside the hotel on Aga Khan Road. The road was in complete darkness since the intensity of the blast had destroyed all the street lights.”
Read more eyewitness reports here.
Teeth Maestro has the latest on casualties and reveals the Czech Ambassador to Pakistan was among the victims:
News reports are tallying the count to be somewhere around 60 dead and over 200 injured. This sadly also includes a few foreigners and the highest dignitary killed yesterday is the Czech Ambassador to Pakistan Ivo Zdarek while his Vietnamese parter is also missing up until now. Ambassador Zdarek had moved to Pakistan a month ago and was staying at the hotel.
Teeth Maestro also reveals that this bombing is not simply as a random attack but possibly an assassination attempt towards the new President:
Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza was hosting an Iftar dinner reception in honor of President Asif Ali Zardari at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, when the hotel was bombed Sept. 20, Pakistani Daily The News reported. Zardari reportedly was not at the dinner, but the report said other important figures were present, without giving names.
The Blog also comments about the blame game:
The overall speculations can blame this attack on any of the terrorist organizations, some find a way to out the finger on the Taliban uprising, some find a way to blame the simmering political unrest while some feel the Indian spy agency RAW might have hand in all this. Whatever be the case Pakistan has suffered.
Raza Rumi at Jahane Rumi is outraged  :
What jihad, what Islam and what kind of Muslims these butchers are – they kill innocent people, the underclass outside a posh hotel in Islamabad and think that they are serving some cause.
CHUP! asks some pertinent questions:
The blast at the Marriott is being coined, “Pakistan’s 9/11.” Is this finally an admission that Pakistan is caught up in a war that it cannot pawn off as “America’s war?”
[..]
On the eve of President Zardari’s visit to New York, this blast serves as a stark reminder that the Pakistani government is on the losing end of a war which is tearing apart the very fabric of Pakistani society
[..]
Our society, government, and law enforcement’s complacence is to blame for these tragic events. It may be an individual militant who pulled the trigger, but it is ultimately the state and society as a whole which has given the extremists the power that can bring a city to its knees.
[..]
The U.S. apparently comprises Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty with these cross-border incursions. The question is, then, what sovereignty are they referring to? The Frontier and Balochistan have become the preferred destination for extremists from around the world. Why aren’t the government and public up in arms about Pakistan’s sovereignty when it is being breached by extremists?
[..]
Who will hold our government accountable?

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Rezwan


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Peru: Adopting a Congressman · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

An initiative created by a television host and newspaper columnist [es] was well-received by Peruvian bloggers and now many, such as El Paki [es] and El Morsa [es] are adopting a Congressman as a way of monitoring how they are spending their taxes.

author: Juan Arellano


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Peru: Remembering Yurimaguas · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Gabriela García Calderón of Seis de Enero [es] reminisces about the town of Yurimaguas located in northeastern Peru and home of her ancestors.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Philippine blog awards 2008 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The winners of the Philippine blog awards 2008. The blog of journalist and GV author Tonyo is Best News and Media blog of the year.

author: Mong Palatino


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Philippines: Contaminated milk from China  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Filipino Journalist and blogger Ellen Tordesillas reports that contaminated milk products from China are being sold too in a public market in Manila.


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Successful Barcamp Phnom Penh 2008 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Participants were impressed over the broad range of topics in the 2008 Barcamp Phnom Penh. Check also Twitter updates of the event.


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Taiwan: the need for mother tongue education · Global Voices
David Reid

Talking Taiwanese has written a long essay on the importance of mother tongue education. He discusses how the Taiwanese language is neglected in the education system and the implications this has for students’ academic achievement and the future survival of the language.

author: David Reid


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Ukraine, EU: A Closer Relationship? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The EU's plan to finalize an Association Agreement with Ukraine in 2009 was made public at the EU-Ukraine Summit in Paris on Sept. 9. The media and bloggers greeted it with mixed reactions.
“EU offers reassurance to Ukraine,” read a BBC headline. “EU offers no promises to hopeful Ukraine,” wrote the Irish Times. “EU Makes Positive Noises But Offers Only Vague Deal to Ukraine,” stated Deutsche Welle. “Nervous EU offers Ukraine hope for the future but no seat at the table,” concluded The Times.
The negative part of the assessment of the Summit's results stems from the EU's decision not to include the term “membership perspective” in the description of Ukraine’s future relationship with the EU – a phrase, which, according to Vitaly of The 8th Circle, “would identify Ukraine’s EU aspirations as something more than a hypothetical idea”:
[…] To myself, I thought that this is not surprising.  With the EU still digesting the 2004 and 2007 enlargement waves, experiencing the Romania-Bulgaria fatigue syndrome, and dealing with an internal problem caused by Ireland’s vote against the Lisbon  treaty, any talk of further  perspective for other states, especially those like Ukraine with 46 million citizens or Turkey with 70 million, must be nauseating.  Although, smaller states, like Serbia with a population of 7 million, have a more realistic perspective as we have recently learned from Mr. Barroso […].
The 8th Circle points at another alleged reason for deciding against Ukraine's “European perspective” – the ongoing political crisis in Ukraine – but argues that “what Ukraine is going through right now SHARES quite a bit with the European values”:
[…] Furthermore it is puzzling why the withdrawal of one section from the ruling coalition, and the consequent potential for a pre-term election is NOT an example of shared values between the EU and Ukraine.  As a democracy with competitive, free and fair elections, Ukraine is attempting to find an institutional solution that will accommodate all of its political actors.
It is a democratic process through which every democratic state must pass through if it is to move beyond the adjective – “transitional.”  Well consolidated democracies, such as Canada and Japan are currently going through the same coalition formation/pre-term election process, and Belgium in the past year took 196 days to form a coalition, which almost beat their 1977 record of 208 days. […]
J Clive Matthews of Nosemonkey's EUtopia thinks that the EU should adopt a more practical approach to dealing with Ukraine:
[…] So Ukraine’s less welcome than tiny Albania and Macedonia? Less welcome than Serbia, a country built on a genocidal civil war and still in dispute with much of the EU over the status of Kosovo?
Yeah, cheers for that. Really encouraging. Nice one.
The promise of future EU membership can be a force for good, inspiring positive shifts towards greater democratic freedoms. But the promise has to be made. Taking a carrot and stick approach is a tried-and-tested method for getting people to do what you want – and that goes for countries too. Yet in the case of Ukraine, the EU’s carrot would appear to be largely imaginary – while at the same time, Ukrainians know that Russia has both stick and carrot, and isn’t afraid to use either.
Taras of Ukrainiana takes a harsh stance on the performance of Ukraine's politicians:
[…] Sure, Euro-beggars can’t be Euro-choosers. Especially if you come to the negotiation table in such a grotesque disarray.
In the meantime, let our oligarchs buy a little more of Monaco. Maybe then we’ll have our chance to join the EU? […]
Part of the passage above is actually a reaction to Victor Yushchenko's seemingly awkward and inappropriately positive response to what Nicolas Sarkozy reportedly said on behalf of the EU at the end of the Summit. Ukrainiana posted a news report broadcast by one of Ukrainian TV stations and provided an English translation of the Ukrainian voiceover translation of Sarkozy's words:
French President Nicolas Sarkozy: This association agreement [to be signed in 2009] does not close any paths, nor does it open any paths. That’s all we could give.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko: We very much appreciate what we reached today.
It turns out, however, that Sarkozy's remark has been mistranslated, and the incorrect translation was then featured prominently in the Ukrainian and a few Western media outlets (more about it – here). The original statement – “[…] cet accord d’association ne ferme aucune piste, que même il en ouvre” – apparently translates as “[…] this association agreement does not close any route, it even opens some.”
“Well, let's see what that means in practical terms,” concludes Ukrainiana after posting a correction.
The 8th Circle believes that the EU should “stay engaged with its Eastern Neighborhood” and that the Polish-Swedish Eastern Partnership project might be “a good small step in that direction.” Here is why:
[…] This partnership more than anything will show that the EU retains its leadership role in Europe by staying actively engaged with “neighborhood countries” that are at various stages of democratic and economic development.
[…]
Note that the question is not about making a promise of membership or candidateship – like the one made by Barroso vis-a-vis Serbia – rather it is about signaling to politicians in Kyiv and the Ukrainian population that if they want to and if they reform accordingly, then the EU is a viable option. […]

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Afghanistan: The Battle of Ashgabat · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust links to the Columbia Journalism Review piece on the shootout in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, where a group of alleged radical Islamists entered in a clash with police.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Afghanistan: Weapons of Insurgents · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nasim Fekrat reports on the fact that the Taliban insurgents use US-made Stinger anti-aircraft guided missiles. Just a few weeks ago, there was a deadly US helicopter crash caused by a Stinger in southern Afghanistan.


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Africa: An African Voice Telling the African Story · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kenyan Pundit writes about A24 Media, “A24 Media is Africa’s first online delivery site for material from journalists, African broadcasters and NGO’s from around the Continent. A24 Media’s business model ensures that all contributors receive a wide and previously unknown exposure to their content, thereby generating sustainable and generous revenues from the sale of their stories on a 60:40 basis in favour of the contributor.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Angola: Luxurious flats for the rich, soaring rent for the poor · Global Voices
Clara Onofre

Property and land speculation in Angola has reached an alarmingly high level, accounting for construction materials’ importation, customs fees, lack of legislation, high demand and low supply, and perhaps even developers’ bad faith.
A quick look around shows a significant number of luxury estates, properly furnished flats in glass buildings with access to garages, gyms and swimming pools that seem to have come from a magic wand. And despite the ridiculously high prices – around a million dollars and sometimes over – developers know well in advance, even before the inauguration of the buildings, that there will be many buyers.
It is obvious those who buy in these developments are upper class individuals; people connected to power or foreign companies which buy and then set up guest houses for their employees. It is also obvious that the low and middle classes find themselves excluded from the possibility of acquiring housing like these.
“Luanda Buildings”, photo by Flickr's user  wilsonbentos  published under a Creative Commons license
The big issue in all this is the fact that there are no places that meet the financial possibilities of most of the population. And the few existing ones leave much to be desired because of the poor quality of construction materials. Cazimar, from the Africa Minha [pt] blog, illustrates this situation well :
“Começa-se a levantar o véu sobre a polémica da especulação imobiliária em Angola e os seus respectivos destinatários interessados neste negócio, quer sejam vendedores, compradores, investidores ou banca e etc. Este tipo de negócio interessará a quem? Certamente que não interessará à maioria do cidadão angolano de baixos rendimentos, porque esses pobres coitados por enquanto só podem sonhar com uma habitação made in China de duvidosa qualidade (marketing eleitoral) ou com a compra ou aluguer de uma cubata num dos musseques (bairro de lata ou favela) mais luxuosos e povoados, situados privilegiadamente ao redor e na parte central da cidade de Luanda. No entanto a localização destes musseques também começa a sofrer a cobiça pelos terrenos por parte dos grandes grupos imobiliários, alguns deles apoiados por pessoal com forte influência junto do poder central e das decisões. Refiro-me aos generais, ministros e respectivos familiares. A maioria dos familiares desta corja sugadora, são os principais responsáveis ou accionistas das empresas envolvidas em grandes projectos de construção imobiliária. Cabendo aos generais e aos outros membros o papel de exercerem influências internamente nos organismos a quem cabe a responsabilidade de supervisionar e administrar esses terrenos e locais. Na maioria das vezes, o cidadão comum (pobre) que vive nesses terrenos é expropriado sem direito a contrapartidas, sendo posteriormente os terrenos vendidos a preços exorbitantes aos interessados na sua compra, com avultadas comissões (gasosa = suborno) aos intervenientes que facilitaram o seu desbloqueamento e expropriação.
Eles (corja) estão sempre a “mamar e a sacar” dependendo dos objectivos de cada um. Tudo isto é facilitado pela falta de legislação adequada e que tarda em aparecer por impedimento da corja envolvida na corrupção do negócio imobiliário de luxo para Angola e para a cidade de Luanda”.
“The veil drawn over the controversy of property speculation in Angola and the respective parties interested in this business, such as sellers, buyers, investors or banks, starts to come off. Who is interested in this type of business? Certainly, it is not the interest of the majority of the Angolan citizens with low income, because for now these poor things can only dream of a dwelling made in China of dubious quality (electoral marketing) or of the purchase or rental of a hut in more luxurious musseques (shantytowns) and villages, located mainly around and in the center of Luanda city. However, because of their location, these musseques also begin to suffer from the greed for land of large property groups, some supported by staff who have a strong influence on central power and decisions. I refer to the generals, ministers and their families. Most of this suckling rabble's families are primarily responsible for, or are shareholders of, companies involved in major construction developments. The generals and the other family members have the role of exercising inside influence on the bodies responsible for supervising and administering land and spaces. In most cases, ordinary people (the poor) living on such land are expropriated without the right to return, after which the land is sold at exorbitant prices to those interested in its purchase, with large commissions (bribery) for the actors that facilitated its release and expropriation.
They (the rabble) are always ‘suckling and withdrawing’ depending on their own objectives. All this is facilitated by a lack of appropriate legislation which is slow to appear due to obstacles imposed by the rabble involved in the business of building luxury for Angola and for the city of Luanda”
“Luanda is like this”, photo by Moisés Nazário, Flickr user Moises.on published under a Creative Commons license
Yet it seems that things have started to change now that the Government intends to implement, in the short term, measures to combat property speculation with a special emphasis on Luanda. It should be noted that other provinces in the country have not suffered from this speculation. In an interview with Jornal de Angola, the Deputy Minister of Urban Planning and Environment said that “the level of speculation in real estate prices in Luanda is very worrying and makes the lives of poor citizens even harder. The fight is through legal mechanisms that protect citizens from the speculation that takes place in the housing market in the capital and also in a program for encouraging housing so that all citizens have access to appropriate housing at lower prices.”
Gil Gonçalves, from the Universal blog [pt], summarizes the situation in which most Angolans live in the face of property speculation.
“Os especuladores imobiliários por onde passam, corrompem governos, titanicam nações. Conseguem corromper um centímetro de terra e lá construírem um minimercado. Se não acabarmos com os especuladores imobiliários, eles acabarão connosco”.
“Wherever they go, the real estate speculators corrupt governments, bully nations. They manage to corrupt one centimeter of land and then build a corner shop. If we don't finish off the real estate speculators, they will finish us off.”
Another major problem experienced by Angolans is the rent market. Each landlord uses a price table of his own prices and their imagination knows no bounds. Prices vary between two thousand and ten thousand dollars and these values do not always match the quality of the house. Most of the time there are houses with only one bedroom with no hydraulic pump or power generator. And in the vast majority of cases, landlords sign a contract with tenants and they are the first not comply, apart from requiring six months or one year's rent in advance.
“Angola2″, photo by Flickr's user  kaysha published under a Creative Commons license
It is high time we had a law that forced landlords to respect drawn-up contracts and established price lists among others. It is also necessary that the Consumer Association is heard and acts accordingly. While this doesn't happen, Angolans are left subject to this implacable reality. Angola For my Family and my Friends blog [pt] certifies this:
“O aluguer das casas é muito elevado e ainda são infra-estruturas de pouca oferta. Das duas uma, ou o pacote de trabalho (para estrangeiros) inclui casa ou o teu rendimento tem de sustentar essa condição. As rendas podem ir de 2000/3000 dólares até onde o pensamento te deixar ir. A mais cara que vi, pediam 15.000 dólares por mês, mas sabe-se de condomínios que chegam a pedir 25.000. Tendo sempre em conta a particularidade comum em pagar sempre os primeiros seis meses ou o primeiro ano de arrendamento na sua totalidade.”
The rent prices are very high and there is little offer of a sound infrastructure. It is either the work package (for foreigners) including home or your income has to be enough to pay for it. Rents can go from [US]$2,000/3,000 to wherever your imagination takes you to. In the most expensive I saw, they were asking [US]$15,000 a month, but it is known there are estates for which they ask [US]$25,000. Bearing in mind the particularity common practice of having to pay the first six months or the first year of rent in full.
“Balance”, photo of Mártires do Kifangondo neighborhood of Luanda by Flickr's user elisa vaz published in this piece with the photographer's permission
There are two very interesting videos on the subject on YouTube. The first one, by user Diogobezerra6, is a collage of pictures of new buildings and developments called The New Luanda. The second is a video response to this, a videoclip for the song  “Monangambê” by “Luanda Dread Band”, with footage from user INESAAODH‘s rides through another side of the city.
Originally written in Portuguese, translation into English by Paula Góes

author: Clara Onofre


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Armenia: Victor Hambartsumian Remembered · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Armenian Higher Education & Sciences comments on government plans to commemorate the work of leading scientist and astrophysicist Victor Hambartsumian who died in 1996. The blog notes that the traditional way of remembering prominent Armenians has now given way to some more interesting ideas which should promote the scientific potential of the country.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bahamas: The Writer  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bahamian Nicolette Bethel examines the role of the writer in society.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Baltic States: Unity project for next generation of Balts · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Lituanica reports from a Baltic youth conference, where visions of bringing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania closer together stood out as the vision of a young Baltic generation.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Bangladesh: migrant worker rights · Global Voices
Rezwan

Shafiur reports that instead of safeguarding  Bangladeshi workers’ rights in hostile foreign environments, the government is planning to introduce security measures like high deposits and fingerprinting of the workers to protect the foreign employers.


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Belarus: Elections without political life · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user junkie beatnik comments on [RUS] the absence of political life in Belarus, where neither opposition nor government seem to comment on politics with only a week left until parliamentary elections.


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Belarus: Making it in the sausage competition · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user luchecon received a phone call [RUS] from his worried grandmother, that Belarus is cutting down the meat content in its sausage production, because it cannot meet the price competition with Russian sausages’ lower meat level. As it turns out, Belarus has a meat deficit, substituting it already with undescribable content.


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Belarus: Youth activists in strange accident · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user toshirskij directs attention to [RUS] a Charta 97 article reporting on an opposition youth activist from the Young Front in a freak car accident. Returning from a meeting in preparation for protests on parliamentary election day 28 September, the wheel of his car fell off at high speed, because the bolts had apparently been unscrewed.


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Belize: Independence Day  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Belizean was proud to be part of the celebrations as the country marked its 27th anniversary of Independence from Great Britain.


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China: Uncovering Sanlu Scandal · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN translated Fu Jianfeng's editor note of an investigative report on the Sanlu poisonous milk which disclosed how the company tried to cover up the scandal.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Deaf Awareness Week: A different type of book signing. · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Did you know that most deaf people who sign, consider sign language their first language and the written language as their second? I didn't, but thanks to the dozens of videos uploaded by members of the deaf community from all over the world, I've learned about this and other issues of which I was previously unaware. International Deaf Awareness Week takes place during the last week of September, so during this week I'll be showcasing different videos from or about the deaf communities around the world, and I hope the following selection of videos provide you with a great place to start if you wish to learn more about this condition and those who live with it.
This first video comes from Manos Cuenteras (storytelling hands) in Argentina. They take advantage of the National Day of the Deaf in Argentina to tell their audience in Argentinean sign language and Spanish subtitles that they will soon release their storybooks in sign language for deaf children. On the comment thread on this Spanish television clip, showing a group of people translating bestsellers and classics such as Pillars of the Earth, Harry Potter, Romeo and Juliet and other books into Spanish sign language, YouTube users explain how deaf people have difficulties reading written language because it doesn't really relate to the language they use to communicate on a day to day basis.
Sign language is not universal and is independent of the oral language. Most countries have their own adaptations and sometimes, as is the case with the United Kingdom and the USA, the sign languages are completely different, in spite of the fact that both countries share the same spoken language. More information about signing can be found here, and  on this video, YouTube user mergfkt tells us in English a bit about the history of ASL (American Sign Language) and the deaf community in general.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Dominican Republic: Schoolchildren Milk Found on Beach · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Paolah of Ahi e Que Prende [es] writes about the discovery of milk used for schoolchildren on Juan Dolio beach in the Dominican Republic.


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Egypt: Kidnapped Tourists · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

A group of 15 foreign tourists, including five Italians, were kidnapped on Monday in southern Egypt.
The Arabist wrote here:
Up to 15 people, including 11 foreign tourists, have been abducted in Egypt, according to the Italian foreign ministry and Egyptian security sources.
…
Although it’s easy to jump to conclusions when the Israeli government recently issued a warning that Israeli tourists were being targeted for kidnappings in Sinai, this is very far away from Sinai and may simply be a criminal gang, considering they’re asking for ransom. Of course that does not rule out the possibility that some violent political group (Islamist or otherwise) is trying to fundraise through kidnappings, which would mark the return of organized militant political violence in Upper Egypt. But I personally doubt it, but this kind of criminal activity is bad news for Egypt and a sign that more attention should be paid to the porous border with Sudan.
Donkeys, Elephants & Crocs also wrote about the same incident here:
An Egyptian government official said the kidnapping took place at a remote location near the Sudanese-Egyptian border south of Aswan. He too said that details remained sketchy. “We don't know yet who did this and we don't know the whereabouts of the tourists,” he said.
…
There has been virtually no violence against tourists in the Nile valley and southern Egypt since an uprising by Islamist militants during the mid-1990s was put down by the government of President Hosni Mubarak.
The last major attack on foreign tourists in the Nile Valley took place in 1997 when 58 were killed by militants in the ancient temple city of Luxor, just north of Aswan.There has been virtually no violence against tourists in the Nile valley and southern Egypt since an uprising by Islamist militants during the mid-1990s was put down by the government of President Hosni Mubarak.
The last major attack on foreign tourists in the Nile Valley took place in 1997 when 58 were killed by militants in the ancient temple city of Luxor, just north of Aswan.
And finally, Zeinobia has another opinion here, as she believes this is not the fist time an incident like this happens in the same location.
The group was abducted at the Gilf el Kebir area where the English Patient film was shot.
…
It tuned out that it is the not first time that something like this happens in the same region of Karkur Talha according to the locals who spoke to Al Jazeera , two similar incidents took place last year and they ended by giving ransoms to the abductors !! We did not know about this before why ?? Where is the security ??
…
There is no news about whether the ransom was paid or not.
Till now the identity of the abductors despite the speculations that they can be from the tribes in the region .

author: Tarek Amr


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Estonia: Calls for change for unfamiliarity with continuity · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Itching for Eestimaa discusses how a growing number of Estonians call for a government change for the mere reason that they are unaccustomed to having cabinets in power for more than two years at a time.


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Estonia: Top-ranking official in spy scandal · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Osteuropablog comments on [GER] an article in Estonian newspaper Postimees of spy charges brought against a top-ranking official in the Ministry of Defence.


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Guyana: The Crying Game  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Signifying Guyana attempts to outwit her “cry-baby” son.


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India: Help Bihar flood victims · Global Voices
Rezwan

To Revolutionize India informs of an innovative site to help the flood victims of Bihar, India. You just have to answer simple questions, and the sponsors will pay to the NGO on your behalf.


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India, Nepal: Kosi Rivers fury  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Tritiopokhkho discusses how the Koshi river, which flows from the Himalayan ranges of Nepal and flows into the plains of Northern Bihar of India, has caused massive floods in vast areas of Nepal and India.


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India: Police and politics · Global Voices
Rezwan

I love life..so I explore says that in India the police allegedly keep a corrupt nexus with the politicians who shield the criminals and terrorists. But usually they are the ones under public scrutiny instead of the politicians.


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Iraq: Look at the World – Where is peace? · Global Voices
Salam Adil

So says Sahar. On the occasion of World Peace Day she writes:
Look at the world – where is peace?
It is shy and illusive.
There is turmoil and war.
There is distrust and fear of the other.
There are hearts bleeding for their loved ones – it doesn't matter where, it doesn't matter who – loved ones are just as precious.
Can we really strive for a day – one day of peace?
One day in which we intentionally look at the half that is full instead of the half  that is empty?
Can we take a day to look at what human beings on Earth have in common rather than what divides us?
Can we make the effort?
Today a mixed bag of posts. A meeting of old friends, a little politics, a coin of excellence, a dose of female geekery and, if you read to the end, find out what fasting really does to you.
If you watch no other video this week watch this one
If you listen carefully to the news you may hear the odd glib comment about the concrete walls that have gone up around Baghdad. But, to truly understand the devastation these walls cause to the communities that are divided by them one must listen to the voices of the ordinary Iraqis. Which is exactly what Alive in Baghdad does.
[display_podcast]
Where do birds dig their graves,
brown and black …
and blue?
They crawl at the end of their time
into nothingness
that we will never know…
They respect each others private
last minute
with God…
before the final accession.
They turn their heads
the other way
when loved ones die.
Then turn them again
to bestow all the love of the skies
and flight…
in parting.
Poem by ZZ
Bits and Pieces
A&E Iraq meets his closest friend that he has not seen since they parted in Iraq. The meeting brings memories of times past:
I had flashes from the past, him being threatened by the security forces, there weapons were pointed to his neck, when I started shouting and threatening.
We were always ready to die together, he never let me down…
I kept looking at him, the same smile, the same gestures, and the same childish behavior. I closed my eyes and found myself sitting in his black small car (the one he used to have in Baghdad), as he used to come everyday, ringing the bell, and then we both disappear.
Going out, drinking special juice from (14th of Ramadan street), chatting, listening to songs, eating Falafel or Lahmb3ajeen, and then going back, sit in the car, keep talking, talking about love, friends and future plans.
Last of Iraqis notices the recent prisoner releases by America but finds some ominous signs for the future peace in Iraq:
I can surely say that there is a good number of [Al Qaida] members among those prisoners as a colleague of mine said when he was talking about his neighbor who is a released prisoner:” I can assure you Mohammed he was in [Al Qaida], I'm sure of that as I'm sure of my name…he was released and few hours 4 members of the Awakening came to visit him!! can you believe that…I bet the situation will get worst pretty soon”…
Only god knows what the coming days are hiding for us.
Inside the Green Zone, Neurotic Wife gets an award (picture left) from the Commanding General in charge of her office. For the first time “the woman that can go on talking forever and give headaches to people all over the world”, is speechless. But, she does not want to take the credit for herself. Neurotic Wife writes:
I seriously don’t think I deserve this coin, but instead, I believe that this coin should be dedicated to all those who lost their lives in the name of this country. First and foremost I dedicate it to all the innocent Iraqi martyrs whose blood is still running deep. Deep within these rivers. And ofcourse, I also dedicate it to the coalition forces and the multi national forces who may not have sacrificed their lives because they “love” us, but they sacrificed their lives in the name of their own country. And to me, to me all those who sacrificed their lives for THEIR country is the epitome of ones honour. A Pure and Honest Honour…
Ihath finds a Swarovski Crystal pendant that is also a USB memory stick and, as a true female geek, she cannot contain her delight. Ihath tries to explain to the confused shop assistant why this is so cool:
So I began to explain to her that this thingy can be attached to a computer or a laptop and you can transfer you files to it and then you have your files with you all the time but it is also a heart shaped pendant which makes a statement about the love you have for these files. The elderly woman still looked puzzled and asked me “So why is that cool?”. “Well it is cool because you have your files with you in a heart shaped pendant hanging on your chest, which means you love your files and your digital files are important to you and you have them hanging right next to your heart, which says something” I tried to explain. “Aha” she replied, but she didn’t look very convinced.
And Finally
Bookish posts a result of Ramadhan that everyone fasting will find familiar:
This is my weight just before having Al-Futoor.
My weight just after having Al-Futoor. :)

author: Salam Adil


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Jamaica: Portia Prevails  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Both Active Voice and My View of JamDown from Up So blog about former Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller's victory over “the unprecedented leadership challenge by long-time party stalwart Dr. Peter Phillips.”


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Jamaica: Slaves · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaican Geoffrey Philp has “had enough of these latter day heroes whose bravery exists only in their febrile imaginations. They denigrate the memory of our ancestors who sucked salt, bore the whip and the yoke of slavery, and invented stories in the dark so that one day their children could argue on luxury liners in the Caribbean about slavery, freedom, heroism, and death.”


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Japan: Japanese input on iPhone 2.1 · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Views on the usability of Japanese characters on iPhone 2.1: At Thir's notes, thir reports that while many have complained that the input of characters is too slow on iPhone, 2.1 firmware offers a great improvement [ja]. Blogger wa-ren at Cross the Chasm! [キャズムを超えろ！] approves of these improvements, but reports that they were expecting more from the new UI. wa-ren goes on to present diagrams of their ideal UI [ja], which integrates a slide format for entering characters.

author: Chris Salzberg


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Japan: Missing Pieces in Tainted Rice Scandal · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

The latest food scandal making headlines in Japan revolves on the nation's staple commodity: rice, one of only a small handful of foods for which the country achieves almost complete self-sufficiency. Central to the Japanese diet, rice has up until now been exempt from a stream of high-profile food scandals making headlines in recent years.
No more, it seems. On September 5th, news emerged that Osaka-based company Mikasa foods [三笠フーズ] had sold imported rice containing high levels of pesticide residue for domestic human consumption. Intended for glue manufacturing and other industrial purposes, Mikasa sold the rice to companies making rice-based products such as senbei crackers, shōchū liquor and miso paste, with details of the scandal ultimately implicating 380 different companies and reaching as far as hospitals, nursing homes and kindergartens. Immediate fallout includes over a million recalled bottles of shōchū and sake, an estimated 2 billion yen in losses, the resignation of an Agriculture Minister and the suicide of a company president.
So the question is: how did this all happen, and what does it really mean? At Hakushi no Hitorigoto, the minimum import requirement imposed on Japan by the World Trade Organization is cited as a source of the problem of tainted rice:
なぜ、政府が、原産国でも食べない斯様な「事故米」まで、中国、米国、タイ、豪州、ベトナムから輸入するのか。嫌われたくないから輸入するのか。この仕組みに根本的な問題が在りはしないか。これを機に見直しが不可避ではないか。ここで「食用」と偽っての転売が報じられている「事故米」は、ウルグアイラウンド合意で、日本が外国からの購入を義務づけられた「輸入米」（年間計77万トンを上記の国々から購入）の一部（年間計2000トン）だ。
Why does our government import from China, America, Thailand, Australia and Vietnam, going as far as to import things like “jiko rice” [tainted rice/事故米] that would not even be eaten in the country where it is produced? Is it because they don't want to be disliked that they import these things? Isn't there a fundamental problem in this arrangement? Is it not inevitable that this [arrangmenent] be reconsidered? This “jiko rice” that is reported to have been resold as “edible food” is actually one part (2000 tonnes per year) of the “imported rice” (770,000 tonnes per year imported from the countries mentioned above) that Japan was obliged to import from abroad in the Uraguay Round Agreement.
Others questioned the strategy taken in dealing with the scandal. At What a Wonderful World, blogger ozaso_2001 condemns a lack of responsibility in authorities responding so slowly to the discovery of tainted rice:
後々影響を受けていることが判って被害者面をするよりも、少しでも早く回収するなり安全宣言するなりした方が、結局ダメージを小さく抑えることが出来ると思いますよ。対応が遅れると信用を失うことになり、損害がお金だけでは済まなくなる可能性もあります。
Instead of realizing the effects later and acting like victims, I think in the end the damage could be controlled somewhat if they recalled the rice a bit earlier, or issued a declaration vouching for its safety. If response is late, then there may be a loss of trust and there is the potential that more than just money may be lost.
Others wondered about the nature of the toxicity in the tainted rice. While the media focused on the high level of methamidophos, an organophosphorous insecticide, blogger ohira-y argued that aflatoxin B1, a carcinogenic fungus also found in the tainted rice, is actually much more dangerous:
アフラトキシンB1は、カビ毒の一種であり主にナッツや飼料から検出されます。また、日本での規制値は全ての食品に対し10μg/kgです。また、耐容摂取量は設定されていません。厳密には異なるものですが、メタミドホスの一日摂取許容量は 0.004 mg/kg体重/日　でした。耐容摂取量が設定されていないということは、つまり摂取する量はこのぐらい間ではいいよという量を設定できない（少なければ少ないほどよい）ということです。
Aflatoxin B1 is one of the main types of mycotoxin and is detected predominantly in nuts and animal feed.  Also, the regulation value in Japan [of aflatoxin B1] for all food commodities is 10 μg/kg. In addition, there has been no tolerable intake level established [for this toxin]. Although strictly-speaking it is something different, the tolerable intake level for methamidophos was set at 0.004 mg/kg of body weight per day. The fact that the tolerable intake level is not set [for aflatoxin B1] means that in fact it is not possible to specify a level at which intake of this toxin is not dangerous (i.e. the less of it the better).
One of the most widely-read [ja] blog entries on the tainted rice incident, however, focused not so much on the rice itself, but on the media's reporting of the scandal. Just as many bloggers in China recently took their media to task over lack of coverage of the poisonous milk power scandal (which has recently hit Japan as well), blogger Chikirin questioned the Japanese media for skipping obvious details in the tainted rice scandal. In a blog entry entitled “Isn't this strange? Reporting on the ‘jiko rice'”, Chikirin highlights three points in particular:
1)“基準の2〜6倍のメタミドホス”の意味
1) Significance of “2 to 6 times the standard level of methamidophos”
こういう報道が多いでしょ。これって“現在の日本の規制基準値の○倍”という意味だと思うのだが、日本は米に関しては特に基準値が厳しいのではないか、という気がするよね。
Seems that there are many reports like this. I guess this means, “X times the current regulation standard in Japan”, but I have the feeling that standards in Japan are particularly strict with respect to rice.
そうだとしても、理由はもちろん食の安全のためだ！ということなのだろうが、実はこういった農薬基準をすんごく厳しくすることは「海外からの輸入を抑制するために非常に有効な方法」のはず。非関税障壁としても意味がある。
I guess people would respond that even if that is so, [these standards] are to keep our food safe! But in fact, having this kind of extremely strict regulations on agricultural chemicals is an extremely effective way to control foreign imports. It's also significant as a non-tariff barrier.
なので、「日本の基準の２倍から６倍の農薬残留量」というのが、「世界の他の国では特になんの問題もない量」なのか、「世界でも大問題の残留量」なのか、というのがまず知りたい。
So what I want to know is, does this “2 to 6 times the Japanese standard for pesticide residue” mean “an amount that is not particularly a problem in other countries of the world”, or “an amount of pesticide residue that would be a huge problem anywhere in the world”?
Chikirin goes on:
その上、「実は日本は米の残留農薬の基準値は世界で一番厳しいが、他の食品についての基準値はすんごくゆるいのだ」となってくれば「なんで米だけそんなに厳しい基準にするんだ？」という話になり、農水省が本当は何をしたいか、よくわかったりもする。
If it turns out that “in fact, Japan's criterion value for pesticide residue on rice is the strictest in the world, but the criterion value for other food items is extremely loose”, then the response would be, “why is the criteria so strict only for rice?” And at that point it becomes very easy to understand what the Ministry of Agriculture is really trying to do.
The next point Chikirin raises regards the amount of tainted rice as a percentage of all rice consumed domestically:
2)普通の米の事故米比率はどの程度なのか？
2) Among ordinary rice, what was the percentage of the tainted rice?
[…]
三笠フーズは事故米を年間2000トンくらい買い集めていたらしい。だとしても80万トンに占める割合は0.25％。これが事故米の全体かどうか、も知りたいし、日本で生産する米の事故米率も知りたいし、他の農産物（野菜）の事故率（基準値以上の農薬残留率）も知りたい。
Mikasa Foods was buying up around 2000 tonnes of tainted rice per year. If that is so, then this only makes up 0.25% of the total 80,000 tonnes. What I want to know is: is this all of the tainted rice, and what is the ratio of tainted rice to the total amount of rice produced in Japan, and what is the rate of tainted [goods] (ratio of pesticides according to the standard criterion) in the case of other agricultural products (vegetables)?
現在この事件により「海外からの輸入米は危ない！」という印象が非常に強く日本人に植え付けられつつある。これは日本の農家の利益を守りたい農水省にとってはとてもラッキーなことだと思う。心より“超うれし〜”と思っているだろう。
As a result of this accident, many Japanese people are being instilled with the extremely strong impression that “imported rice is dangerous!” Seems to me that this is a very lucky turn of events for a Ministry of Agriculture that wants to protect Japanese agricultural profits. They must be thinking to themselves from the bottom of their hearts: “We are so happy〜”
でも、いったいその事故比率が他の米、他の農産物と比べて高いのか、同じなのか、低いのか。それがわからないと「本当に危ないのは何なのか？」わからないじゃん。それとも「事故率」もしくは「不良品率」ってゼロだという前提なのか？？そんな商品は工業商品でさえありえない。ましてや自然商品で不良品率ゼロなんてありえない。
However, is this ratio of tainted rice higher than the rate for other produce? Is it the same? Or is it lower? If you don't know this, then there's no way you can answer the question, “what is it that is really dangerous?” Or is it a premise that the “tainted ratio”, or “defective product ratio” is actually zero?? Producing this standard of goods is not even possible in the manufacturing industry, let alone in the natural products [industry].
The third point Chikirin raises is about how so-called “minimum access rice” is handled in Japan:
3)そもそもミニマムアクセス米の扱いはどーなっていたのか？
3)From the start, what has been going on with the handling of minimum access rice?
[…]
今回の事故米は「農薬残留量が過大、もしくは、カビなどが生えたもの」と報道されているが、もしも輸入した米を売りさばかずにずうっと倉庫においていたらどーなると思います？
The tainted rice in this incident has been described in reports as having “an excessively high level of pesticides, [and of having] mold growing on it”. What do you think happens when, instead of selling it, you put imported rice into storage for a really long time?
[…]
そりゃそーです。食べ物なんだから、一定期間以上放置していれば腐るなりカビが生えるなりする。食べ物を倉庫に何年も放置しとけば問題が起こるのはごく当然なのだから、むしろ「なんでそんなことしてんねん？」ってことのほうが知りたいちきりんです。ミニマムアクセス米はそもそもどういう扱いをされていたのか。これがまずは報道されるべきでない？
That's what happens. This is food, if you leave it for longer than a set period of time, it starts to go bad and grow mold. It's completely natural that if you put food into storage for years problems will arise, so my question is rather: “Why are you doing this kind of thing?” From the start, how is minimum access rice being handled? Shouldn't this first be reported on?
こんなむちゃくちゃな関税をかけて輸入を阻止しているので、「日本は自分が得意なものは輸出しまくるくせに、自分の弱い産業は完全保護なんてずるいだろ？」ということで最低限度の輸入を義務付けられている。それを「日本人に食べさせて味がばれるとまずいから」食べさせないと決めた。そもそも人に食べさせる気がないから、輸入時に農薬でべたべたのお米でも返品もクレーム付けもしない。（輸出国側も“どうせ日本は食べる気ないんだから”って感じだろう。）その上、食べないと決めているから当然余る。で、倉庫に放り込んでおく。そしたらカビが生えました、と。
Because Japan is imposing these kinds of unreasonable tariffs and blocking imports, [people in other countries think: “isn't it dishonest that Japan is exporting like crazy the things that it is good at producing, while completely protecting the industries where it is weak?”, and it is for this reason that Japan is obliged to have a lower limit on imports. It was decided that “if Japanese were allowed to eat this [imported rice] and the taste was recognized, it would be bad news”, so people are not allowed to eat it. From the start, they don't want to allow people to eat [this rice], so even if it is sprinkled with pesticides when it is imported, nobody demands returns and no claims arise. (I guess from the side of the exporting country as well, they must figure that “whatever we do, Japan doesn't like to eat this, so…”) And on top of this, since it is certain that nobody will eat [this rice], surplus naturally starts to pile up. So it's thrown into the storehouse. And then mold starts to grow on it.
日本の農業の産業規模は1兆数千億円くらいです。そしてこの産業に投入されている補助金（税金）の総額が、ほぼ同等の1兆数千億円。産業規模と同じ規模の税金が投入されているということは、農業ってのは「半分、国有産業」なんです。言い換えれば私たち国民が税金で運営している産業、なんです。
Japanese agricultural production is on the order of 1 trillion several hundred billion yen [on the order of 10 billion USD]. The total sum of cash subsidies (from tax money) that is invested in this industry is roughly the same, on the order of 1 trillion yen. The fact that a quantity of tax money of roughly the same scale as the industry itself is being invested means that agriculture is a “half nationalized industry”. Which is to say that this is an industry which we citizens are running with taxpayer money.
だったら「ミニマムアクセス米をどう活用するのか」とかも含め、もっと全体感をもった議論を納税者はするべきではないのか？その判断のために必要な情報を農水省が隠蔽するのは当然としても、それを探り出して白日の下にさらすのは誰の役割なのだ？
If that's the case, then shouldn't taxpayers be making arguments that capture a more complete range of feelings, including the issue of “how to make use of minimum access rice”? Even if it is natural for the Ministry of Agriculture in making this judgment to conceal essential information, whose role is it to dig this up and expose it to the light of day?
議論すべきは末端の役人の焼き鳥屋での接待問題ではないと思う。農水省が三笠フーズを訴えるなんて茶番以外の何ものでもない。もしかして農水省は正義の味方のつもり？
I don't think bureaucrats having business dinners at yakitori-ya is what should be discussed here. The Ministry of Agriculture going after Mikasa Foods is an all-out farce. What, is the Ministry of Agriculture trying to be some kind of crime avenger?
[…]
これまで一生懸命やってきた焼酎メーカーが、だまされて事故米を買ったという罪で（毎日米３合分飲んでも）健康にはなんの問題もない商品を回収に追い込まれ、当然その損失は誰も補填してくれず、加えてNHKの報道をみた大手企業から今後の納入契約を破棄される。そして・・
Shochu makers who have been putting all their effort into their work are driven to recall goods which pose no health problems (even if you drink 3 gō of it every day) for the crime of having been tricked into buying jiko rice. And of course nobody will compensate them for the losses from this, not to mention the fact that large corporations will revoke their supply contracts after seeing the NHK broadcast.
今、公共の電波がやっていることはそういうことなのだ。私たちは本当にそれを望んでいる？
This is the kind of thing that our public airwaves are doing right now. Is this really what we want?


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Japan: The Birth of Blog Critique · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Hiroshi Yamaguchi at H-Yamaguchi.net discusses [ja] Japanese journalist, author and Internet commentator Toshinao Sasaki‘s latest book, “The Birth of Blog Critique” [ブログ論壇の誕生]. In the book, Sasaki describes the circumstances through which statements in blogs have come to genuinely affect modern Japanese society, in a variety of different contexts.


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Japan: Too many ads in Hatena Keywords · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

User id:ryocotan complains that the keyword page at Hatena, Japan's largest social bookmarking service, has too many advertisements [ja], demonstrating this problem with a diagram for the keyword “violin” (バイオリン [ja]) in which actual information is highlighted in blue, and ads highlighted in red.


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Japan: Virtual Shopping Mall · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Serkan Toto from Asiajin introduces a popular virtual window shopping website in Japan.


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Kazakhstan: Shell + KMG · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Adam reports that Kazakhstan’s state oil-and-gas company KazMunaiGas would create a joint venture with Royal Dutch Shell Plc to handle the production segment of the Kashagan oilfield.


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Kuwait: Animals are not Toys  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Kuwait, Madred's Weblog sheds light on animal rights. “A number of people these days view animals as nothing but toys, an object for entertainment so that their children can play and kill time with,” writes the blogger.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Kuwait: I never wear things made in China  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Twenty Three and Enjoying Life, from Kuwait, is surprised at the number of groups popping up on Facebook. The latest she encounters says: I never wear things made in China.


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Macedonia: Fighting Corruption with Online Video · Global Voices
Elena Ignatova

Razvigor ;-) links to two bloggers, Komunikacii [MKD] and Panta Rei [MKD], who published several video clips used by citizens to document abuse of power in one of the municipalities of Skopje.

author: Elena Ignatova


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Pakistan: Rallying for Chavez · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pak Tea House reports that the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is gaining support in Pakistan for his stance against the USA.

author: Rezwan


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Palestine: Prejudice in the USA · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Palestinian blogger Laila El-Haddad has had an unpleasant encounter with a man in Virginia: “Free Palestine? Palestine's already free!!” he raged, gesturing to a bumper sticker on the back of my windshield as he began to walk away. … He then turned around and bellowed out “Why don't you go back to your country!”

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Paraguay: Trans-Chaco Rally Postponed  · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Every year, drivers from across the globe descend on Paraguay's Chaco Region to participate in the Trans-Chaco Rally, which has been running since 1971.  This year, the region of the Grand Chaco has been especially hit hard by drought.  A State of Emergency had been declared for the area.  As a result, the government announced that it would be postponing the race [es] citing the need to allow for aid workers to provide assistance to the region's 18,000 families, including many from indigenous groups.
Carlos Rodríguez of Rescatar [es] does not agree with the suspension of the race [es], and explains how the government arrived at the decision:
Cuando se declara una situación de emergencia como aconteció ahora es que se evaluó el cuadro crítico de un fenómeno natural y su efecto sobre los bienes, la infraestructura y la vulnerabilidad de poblaciones existentes donde se produce el fenómeno. Un equipo técnico hizo una estimación del impacto en las actividades cotidianas y de desarrollo y recomendó establecer medidas para reducir la vulnerabilidad y mitigar los efectos de la sequía. Entre ellos, la suspensión del rally.
When one declares a state of emergency such as this, one critically evalutes the natural phenonemon and its effect on property, infrastructure and the vulnerability of the population located where this phenomenon took place.  A technical team made an estimation of the impact on daily activities and development and recommended that measures be established to reduce the vulnerability and mitigate the effects of the drought.  Among these recommendations, the suspension of the rally.
Marta Escurra wonders what other consequences may result in the suspension of the race [es]:
El rally consiste en un puñado de días, para ser precisos tres, y sí… es cierto que dentro de ese marco ocurren “cosas extrañas” que luego vemos reflejadas en los diarios sensasionalistas. Pero también es cierto que además de los rallystas otras personas dependen económicamente de la competencia y es tal vez su única entrada de dinero honesto en todo el año.
The rally consists of a pair of days, or to be more precise three days, and yes… it is true that within that framework that there are “strange things” that happen that end up in the sensationalist newspapers.  It is also true that besides the rally drivers, there are other people that depend economically on the competition and it maybe their only source of honest money during the entire year.
The hardships facing families is not limited to the Chaco region, and Jorge Torres Romero looks at populations closer to home and writes [es]:
La otra cuestión. Se declara emergencia por la sequía, pero Camilo se pasa hablando de las caries, problemas respiratorios y complicaciones de la salud de centenares de familias de varias comunidades indígenas. No hace falta ir tan lejos. Acá en los bañados de Asunción, al menos a mil metros de su oficina se va a encontrar con mayores problemas odontológicos y respiratorios ya sea por la basura y por la contaminación. ¿Por qué no plantea declarar estado de emergencia la zona del bañado?
The other question.  An emergency was declared due to the drought, but Camilo (Soares, the Minister of National Emergency) talks about cavities, respiratory problems and health complications facing hundreds of families from indigenous communities.  One does not need to go that far.  Here in the outskirts of Asunción, at approximately 1000 meters from his office, one can find people with worse dental and respiratory problemas due to the trash and contamination.  Why don't they propose declaring a state of emergency in those outskirts?
Many are upset at the suspension of the rally, as it is the 2nd most popular sporting activity outside of football in the country.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Russia-Georgia: Reports on military and civilian death tolls · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Wu Wei comments on and links to reports on Georgian military and civilian death tolls in the recent Russo-Georgian war. She also posts an interesting overview of demographic developments in Georgia, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia.


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Russia: Ingushetian president accused of journalist murder · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Finnish-Russian Civic Forum posts a translation of an article from Ingushetiya.ru, where the news site accuses the president of Ingushetiya for ordering the murder of its owner.


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South Africa: Forcing Mbeki out is stupid · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

J.S considers the move to force the South African President, Thabo Mbeki, out of office is stupid: “Mbeki being forced out is really a stupid thing for the ANC to do. Why couldn’t they have just left him there to complete his term?”


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South Africa: Mbeki as a tragic hero · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Is Thabo Mbeki a tragic hero?: “President Thabo Mbeki’s shock resignation on Sunday night has me reaching for my Julius Caesar (Act 3, scene 2). I have this image of the noble Caesar (Mbeki) cut down in the forum by the conspirators (Mantashe, Motlanthe, Malema, Zuma et al).”


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Tajikistan: Electricity crisis  · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Vadim reports that the mayor of Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, has promised that the electricity crisis throughout the country will not hit Dushanbe this year.


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Tajikistan: Talco Attacks Journalist · Global Voices
Ian Chesley

You might recall an article from a while back about how the government of Tajikistan was forming a unit to deal with that country's image problem, because, god knows, that's the country's biggest problem these days. Well, for the first time, there's something to show for that unit.
If you've been reading Beyond the River over the last few months, then the name John Helmer should be familiar to you. Helmer is a journalist based in Moscow working as a correspondent for South Africa's Business Week, The Weekender, and Mineweb, writing about the mineral and metals industries.
At some point, Helmer picked up on the story of Talco, Tajikistan's state-owned aluminum company. It's a story that's had a lot of twists and turns, so I won't rehash all the details again here. Suffice it to say that the Tajik government is suing former partners in Talco in a London court, and spending gigantic sums of money on legal fees which add up to a big chunk of the country's GDP.
Simultaneous with this court case is the affair of Hassan Sadulloev/Asadulloev, President Rahmon's brother-in-law. By many accounts, President Rahmon's son Rustam shot Sadulloev dead in May. Other accounts say that he's still alive and flying around in helicopters. Or maybe it's his twin brother, Hussein.
These two things are connected why? Because Sadulloev ran the bank (Orionbonk) that ran a scheme to divert Talco's income into offshore bank accounts in the British Virgin Islands. Accounts which belong to unnamed private persons. The only reason we know any of this is because Rahmon foolishly sued his former partners in the scheme in a London court. So it's pretty easy just to go down to the court and request the documents.
Add to this the IMF, which is getting less and less patient with Tajikistan. Last March it was revealed that the Tajik government would have to pay back $47 million in poverty-reduction loans to the IMF because Tajikistan had lied on the application. And most recently, the IMF issued a report saying that Tajikistan had to make the operation of Talco more transparent (and in the process revealed the scope of the illegal scheme to put profits in offshore accounts: a billion dollars).
You knew it had to happen eventually. Talco, or the Tajik government, or a reporter named Almaz Nazarov, has responded [ru].
You might think that the article would respond to the allegations and quote government and Talco sources saying that there's nothing to the story's allegations of corruption and that the Tajik government will cooperate with the IMF.
Instead, the story's author focuses on attacking John Helmer personally:
All the Helmer articles, basically, are connected with the court lawsuits of TALCO (as is known, the Tajik company pursues for a second year in the international courts the former traders of the factory – the Ansol Ltd company and the Russian UC Rusal). The chain links to these companies. They more than anyone else are interested in the deterioration of Talco’s foreign image TALCO and the creations of a negative image of the company in western business circles.
Continuing our small investigation and browsing on the Helmer site, we find out that on the same level with TALCO it ruthlessly “floods” also Russian Rusal.
Now by a simple process of elimination it is possible to identify the number-one candidate among customers for the Helmer service such as “support of judicial lawsuits” — Ansol Ltd. and its head Avaz Nazarov.
Oh, of course, Helmer must be in the pay of Ansol (the target of the Talco suit in London). And of course, Almaz Nazarov is an independent Tajik journalist whom no government is paying.
The article, which you can read yourself, basically whines that Helmer twisted the publicly available words of Rahmon and the IMF, didn't allow Talco to comment (although every article by Helmer includes a line about how his calls to the company have not been returned), and that actually the “tolling” practice that Talco has used is standard industry practice.
It ends with this bizarre coda:
P.S. The publication FK-Capital has made an inquiry on Monday [September 15] at the IMF Representation in the Republic of Tajikistan, concerning the Helmer article. However, an answer has not been received. Mr. Moers has written the comment to the address of Talco, which has been readdressed to us at our request by the company’s press-service. We consider the fact of the refusal of the IMF to answer our questions an indirect recognition of the fault in the distortion by the Mineweb journalist of their data and as consequence, the deterioration of image of Tajikistan. It is obvious that the founders of reports in the IMF should weigh more carefully their definitions and terms which, in consequence, were not required for further explanations or refutations.
Ha! The IMF is refusing to answer Almaz Nazarov's questions, just like Talco refuses to return Helmer's calls. The circle is unbroken.
Cross-posted at Beyond the River.

author: Ian Chesley


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Tanzania: Tanzanian out of Big Brother Africa  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The Tanzanian contestant in the Big Brother III has been evicted, “Tanzania's beautiful and sassy Latoya was evicted out of the just begun Big Brother Africa 3 challenge in SA, that country whose ruling party boss has the power to force the sitting Presidents resignation!”


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Ukraine: Battle for Crimean minds · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Kyiv Scoop discusses how pupils and people in Crimea are influenced to love Russia and loath Ukraine.


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Ukraine: Critique of a Text on NATO Membership · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The 8th Circle posts a detailed critique of Jeffrey Tayler’s piece in The Atlantic: “[…] in the process of attempting to make the case against Ukraine’s membership in NATO, Tayler resorts (consciously or not) to claims that are either: misleading or factually inaccurate and/or are highly improbable to be true in the future.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Ukraine: MTV and Domestic Violence · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Natalia Antonova links to her piece on GlobalComment about “MTV Ukraine and the normalization of domestic violence.” LJ user maryxmas has translated Antonova's text into Ukrainian; a Russian translation is posted in the feministki LJ community.


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Ukraine: Overcoming political stalemate? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Foreign Notes posts a translation of an article by Party of Regions’ (PoR) Andriy Kluyev, calling for renewed efforts in forming a solid and long-term Ukrainian government – presumably a PoR-Tymoshenko coalition.


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Uzbekistan: Investing in Soccer · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Tolkun tells about the first goals of world-renowned football player Rivaldo in Uzbekistan's Bunyodkor FC and embeds a video of the game.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Bangladesh: Election thoughts · Global Voices
Rezwan

Black and Gray has some apprehensions about the general election in Bangladesh scheduled on December 18 this year: “even though the government and the Election Commission have carried out some reforms in the electoral process to make it free and fair, honest, competent candidates are still difficult to come by.”


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Bermuda: Promoting Politics · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Blogging from Bermuda, Vexed Bermoothes is not on board with the idea of political advocacy on the public dime.


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Costa Rica: Daughter of Immigrant Running for State Senator · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Fusil de Chispas [es] writes about Sonia Chang-Díaz, the daughter of a Costa Rican immigrant who is running for state senator in Massachusetts.


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Critical Myanmar online portal hacked · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

On the the eve of the first anniversary of Myanmar’s “Saffron Revolution,” The Irrawaddy website was hacked. A blog was set-up as a temporary mirror site . The Irrawady focuses on Myanmar and Southeast Asia.

author: Mong Palatino


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Cuba: The Power of Books  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Both Uncommon Sense and Generation Y blog about three Cuban political prisoners who have started hunger strikes after they were prevented from receiving books and magazines: “They suspect that when Adolfo, Pedro and Antonio are engrossed in an essay or a story the bars disappear, the jail fades away, and they manage to shake off their lengthy sentences.”


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D.R of Congo: Searching for Congolese musicians · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Are you a Congolese musician?: “University of Bergen in Norway is searching for Congolese musicians who perform Congolese music”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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South Africa: Dude, Where’s the Presidency? · Global Voices
Muhammad Karim

The South African Blogosphere just sparked with the recent news of 11 Ministers and 3 deputy ministers resigning including South Africa's star minister, Trevor Manuel and The Deputy President, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. Here's what the bloggers are saying…
From Cape Town Property Bubble…
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel is among 11 Cabinet ministers and three deputy ministers who have resigned.
Their letters of resignation had been received by President Thabo Mbeki “which, regretfully, he has had to accept”, the presidency said in a statement on Tuesday.
In my own blog, Waiting in Transit the post “South Africa’s Government disbands, WTF?” goes:
“What the Hell?!?” is almost every South African's response right now as the news is coming thick and fast right now with news of 11 Ministers in Government resigning today, including Trevor Manuel (No! Don’t Go!) including 3 Deputy Ministers. This after The Deputy President, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, resigned yesterday citing that she wants to allow the “new president” to choose their own deputies and “personal reasons” (Yeah, right.)
The Ministers who have left are…
Deputy President, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka;
Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel;
Minister of Defence Mosiuoa Lekota;
Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad;
Minister of Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils;
Minister of Correctional Services Ngconde Balfour;
Minister of Public Enterprises Alec Erwin;
Minister of Science and Technology Mosibudi Mangena;
Minister of Public Works Thoko Didiza;
Minister of Provincial and Local Government Sydney Mufamadi; and
Minister of Public Service and Administration Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi.
…and that’s not including the three deputy ministers: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad; Deputy Minister of Finance Jabu Moleketi; and Deputy Minister of Correctional Services Loretta Jacobus.
Following the President’s resignation, which was a blow enough to the country in terms of stability, etc. and now this… This is DEVASTATING. With no doubt, this is the biggest Political upset in South African history. No doubt, the ANC National Executive Committee is probably shitting itself after coming to the decision to chuck Mbeki out of the presidency, citing the recent case against Jacob Zuma in which the case was thrown out of court due to “political interference” (which they blamed on Mbeki)… I bet they didn’t see this coming, or maybe they did, maybe this is what they wanted.
Kgalemo Motlanthe, Zuma’s ally has already been chosen as the care-taker president since the other Deputy President had resigned, os now they have the opportunity to replace EVERYONE.
I don’t know what’s going to happen now, this cannot be good for investor confidence in the country , the Rand is most probably going to get shot to hell and there goes the 2010 Dream. Negative, I know, otherwise I’m hoping for a miracle.
From the East Coast News Watch Blog…
President Thabo Mbeki has lodged papers in the Constitutional Court for permission to add his name to an application to appeal Judge Chris Nicholson’s judgment.
*Plus, read his full resignation speech *
Mbeki filed the papers yesterday – a day after announcing to the nation that he has resigned.
The move follows Nicholson’s statement in the recent Pietermaritzburg High Court ruling, that Mbeki and the former Justice Minister may have interfered in the decision to prosecute Jacob Zuma. Last week, the cabinet said it was considering taking legal action over the judge’s comments about political interference. It is understood that cabinet has also lodged papers in the con court.
Dispatch Now speaks of plans for new Political party in South Africa…
Outgoing President Thabo Mbeki’s mother, Epainette, is backing moves to split the African National Congress (ANC) and form a new breakaway political party.
News of the plans by Mbeki supporters to form a new breakaway party emerged this weekend after the ANC national executive committee (NEC) announced that it had resolved to recall Mbeki from his office.
Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota, his deputy Mluleki George and Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa are believed to be spearheading the campaign to start the still-to-be-named political party.
On Sunday George would neither confirm nor deny the moves, saying only that an announcement would be made soon.
On Monday, Ma’Mbeki, as the 92-year-old struggle veteran is affectionately known, said she was aware of the the plans and backed the move to split the ANC as she saw no future in the organisation under current president Jacob Zuma.
The East News Watch Blog also wrote of the ANC's favoured candidate for the position of president, before the ministers mentioned above had resigned…
The ANC has confirmed that its Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe has been chosen as the party’s preferred candidate to serve as the country’s interim president after Thabo Mbeki leaves office on Thursday.
The ANC’s Jessie Duarte says while parliament still has to vote on the matter today – that will just be a formality.
“Mr Kgalema Motlanthe is the ANC’s preferred candidate to become the next president of the Republic of South Africa. He will probably be sworn in immediately after the resignation of President Mbeki takes effect on the 25th of September.”
Many South Africans right now are in absolute shock as to the events which are unfolding before their eyes, what the future holds, no-one knows, all we know is that right now, people are fearful as to the outcome of this situation.
Photo above of the South African Houses of Parliament in Cape Town is by Nick Boalch and shared under a Creative Commons “Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative” license.

author: Muhammad Karim


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Ecuador: The Concern for Citizen Safety · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

Ecuador's economic difficulties are said to be one of the chief causes of crime around the country. Much of it is caused by the unemployed, who will find alternatives to eat and survive, which often means committing crimes or stealing. For the ordinary citizen, it is quite different, when your car is stolen.  Cars belonging to someone important in the political world, it will undoubtedly be recovered immediately.  However, if the same car belongs to a blogger like Fatima Quishpe, the car can be considered long gone.
The concern over safety led the Babahoyo Chamber of Commerce to organize a march asking for increased security in the city. Juan Pi of Aguitmat Corp [es] was unable to attend the march, but explains the reasons why the Chamber of Commerce organized the march:
…Ya que los continuos asaltos ya son el pan de cada dia, y ya se que su majestad ha dicho que desde antes de su gobierno ha existido inseguridad y tiene razon, pero ahora los señores de lo ajeno son descarados, en plena luz del dia y con armas de grueso calibre amedrentando y agrediendo a los dueños de los locales comerciales y proceden a llevarse lo que mas puedan. Hasta ahora no nos ha pasado nada de eso a nosotros(aunq hace algunos años se metieron al almacen en la noche), pero a nuestros vecinos si los han asaltado en el dia.
Because of the continuing assaults are a daily occurrence, and now that his majesty has said that insecurity already existed before his administration, and he's right, but now the men are brazen, in broad daylight and with heavy caliber weapons, which cause damage to business owners and take everything they can. So far, nothing has happened to us (although a few years ago they gained entrance to the warehouse at night), but our neighbors have been assaulted during  daytime.
Moving down south Ecuador, we arrive to Cuenca.  This city is also in trouble because of ‘social inequalities’ which is the cause for many people to commit crimes.  Andres Martinez [es] recommends two points to fight citizens’ safety:
El primero se basa en eliminar las causas que llevan a los rufianes a delinquir, a través de una correcta aplicación de justicia social, que contemple que todos los ciudadanos tengan iguales oportunidades, así como lograr una correcta reintroducción de los sujetos de alto riesgo, a través de actividades productivas.
Y el segundo, sin duda es apropiarnos los cuencanos de nuestros espacios públicos, ya que toda plaza, parque, calle, son nuestras, y son para nuestro esparcimiento e integración. Así, cuando ciudadanos honestos y respetuosos logren llegar a ese nivel de apropiación, que conlleva un control implícito de esos espacios, al sentir cercanía, creará un efecto multiplicador donde los ciudadanos seamos los verdaderos guardianes de la ciudad, y de esta manera niños, jóvenes y adultos, podremos disfrutar a plenitud de una ciudad tan bella, aunque a veces insegura, como la Atenas del Ecuador.
The first is based on eliminating the causes that lead people to commit crimes, through a proper application of social justice, which provides all citizens with equal opportunities and a proper reintroduction of high-risk subjects, through productive activities.
And secondly, it is certainly appropriate for Cuenca's people take ownership of our public spaces, since any plaza, park, streets is ours, and they are for our recreation and integration. Thus, when honest and respectful citizens achieve that level of ownership, which means an implicit control of these areas, feeling of community, it will create a multiplying effect where we, the citizens are the true guardians of the city, and thus children, youth and adults, can fully enjoy the city, which is so beautiful, although sometimes insecure, as the Athens of Ecuador.
Another blogger  complains also about Fatima’s concerns on top of this post – how some officials receive special protection to the point that they may have streets closed while they eat, while civilians have to take care of themselves.  He recounts an experience about the Government and Police Minister, Fernando Bustamante  and Internal and External Security Minister, Gustavo Larrea.  The blogger Chucky writes about this episode:
Les propongo algo, que les parece si los ponenos a los dos paraditos en pleno centro de la ciudad (podría ser por el mercado central) tipo seis de la tarde, paraditos, sin que nadie los cuide, porque me contaron que el otro día que estuvo el payaso este de Bustamante comiendo en el “Restaurante Lo Nuestro” cerraron la calle, habían diez patrulleros, viente policías, mientras a Guayaquil los ladrones se los llevan en peso.
I propose something, what about if we let them, both of them, stand up in the middle of the city (could be at the central market) let's say around 6 p.m., standing all by themselves, without nobody to look after them, because someone told me the other day that this Bustamante's clown was eating in the “Our Restaurant” and that they had closed the street. There were ten police cars and twenty policemen, while Guayaquil was being controlled by thieves.

author: Milton Ramirez


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Estonia, Finland, Russia: Relationship Now and Then · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A Step At A Time writes in depth about the relationship between Finland, Estonia, and Russia – now and in the past.


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Hong Kong: Finance Tsunami · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

As a major financial center in the world, the financial tsunami triggered by Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy hit the city badly. On sept 18, the Hang Seng Index (HIS) dived about 1,300 points in the morning and touched 16,283, but due to Chinese and Hong Kong government's joint intervention, it rebounded 1,566 points in the afternoon. Although the stock market seems to be stabilized, investors of mini bond issued by the Lethman Brothers were afraid that they might lose their saving forever.
During the weekend, more than 500 investors demonstrated in the street calling the government to intervene. CC wrote a letter to the Government Finance Secretary Tsang Chun Wah and posted it in his blog:
Like some five hundreds investors demonstrated on the street today, I am also one of the victims who bought the mini bonds and affected by the collapse of Lethman Brothers. We are terrified and in deep anger that our hard earned savings may be vanished and gone forever. No one seems to know what's going to happen to our money. SFC has requested Lethman Brother to provide Q&A to the investors but nothing so far is seen or heard from Lethman. I have asked my bank the same question all they can tell me is either don't know or ask me to wait. I can't imagine any world class finance infrastructure will allow potential high risk, hazardous and irresponsible company like Lehman to walk away and worse still no one seems can or know how to take any proactive remedial action.
We really appreciate if the government can offer more help and take a leading role to protect the mini bond investor's interest.
Wanszezit is in sympathy with the small investors and criticizes the finance institution which has misled their clients in the investment:
無何置疑，投資者自己也需付一定責任，跟風吹噓的媒體也有責任。不過，以上兩類人，到底是愚蠢，沒錯，他們被罰了，卻不是罪。反之，明知科網空殼風險甚高，還刻意隱瞞，誤導投資者購買的金融機構，那就是罪。
INFI connects the poisonous milk scandal with the finance tsunami and stresses the importance of corporate social responsibility.
這個多星期，不論是內地奶粉製造商或國家質檢部門，抑或是美國的財金機構或華府，不約而同都處於水深火熱之中，相同的是，它們的誠信都破產了，人們對它們都存在相當戒心。
含三聚氰胺的毒奶粉食死人，危害公眾健康，相關有問題食品越揭越多，弄致人心徨徨；而是次金融海嘯，繼早前次按問題，加上風險高沒保障的眾多投資衍生工具被不斷炒作，金融機構玩弄財技，最終泡沫爆破，有些企業甚至資不抵債，情況極為嚴峻；最後迫使一向奉行自由市場主義的華府，亦要動用千億公帑救市，荒謬是，企業虧損，最後卻由人民血汗錢找數，這到底是那門子道理？
建立良好信譽，可能需時數十年，但要摧毀它，一下子就成事；商家們追求利潤，天經地義，但妄顧社會道德責任，卻等同自毀長城，最後可能連老本也要輸掉。
In the past two weeks, the manufacturers of milk powder, the PRC General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the finance institutions in US and the Washington U.S government, all of them are in trouble. Moreover, all of them have lost their credibility, people are very skeptical of what they said.
The poisonous powder with melamine have put the public health at risk, more and more milk products have been affected. People are very anxious about the situation. The finance tsunami, together with the Subprime problem, indicated that there are too many risky investment tool being marketed and manipulated by investment banks. Now the bubbles burst out. The situation has worsen as many corporates cannot pay off their loan. In the end, the Washington government which has been upholding the free market principle has to use tax payers’ money to save the market. The most ridiculous thing is, the debt of corporates have to be shouldered by people's hard earned money. Is this reasonable?
To build a trusted relation takes more than a decade, to ruin it, just a click. It is absolutely ok for corporates to pursuit profit, but if they disregard their social responsibility, they will just ruin themselves.
Diumanpark noticed that economic liberals in local newspapers have shifted their opinions to support government intervention and he is frustrated with the double standard:
嘩，原來挽救弱勢社群，就會引發干預市場的惡果，但出動真金白銀入市出手挽救，干預私人公司運作以及證券市場，卻不能出手太遲，更不能不干預。換言之，資本家平時賺到仆街，少少嘢就嘈你干預市場，但當佢哋輸到仆街，又死死氣要你來打救，如果你說你不能打救他，那是干預市場，他又說：「不，你干預會引發惡果，但你救市太遲也會引發惡果。」
我真是經濟大鈍胎啊，我竟然毫不明白這種邏輯，完全不知道政府「救市」是不等於政府「干預」。
Well, so if we help the weak in our society, they said it would had bad impact to the market. Now that the government use cash to self the stock market, intervene private corporates’ businesses, they encouraged the government to act fast. In other words, when the capitalists gain profit, a small increase in public expense is condemned as market intervention, but when they lose, they ask for help. If you said you could help them because that's market intervention, they would then say: if you are late in saving the market, the result would be disastrous.
I am such an economic dummy, how can I not understand such logic? How can I not understand “saving the market” is not equal to “market intervention”.
The substantial effect of the Finance Tsunami on the economy is yet to come. Charles mok anticipated that the negative impact would be more serious than the attack of SARS (Severe acute respiratory syndrome) in 2003 and he urged the government to develop I.T public service and prepare for the future.

author: Oiwan Lam


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India: The road ahead for West Bengal · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sunday Posts discusses the politics behind resisting the establishment of Tata Motor's factory in Singur and the State Government's failure to resolve the problem. The blog also discusses the impacts it will have on the West Bengal state.


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Indonesia: Lights, Camera, Elections! · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

News of showbiz personalities running in the elections is no longer surprising. But if more than 30 entertainers were registered by a major political party as candidates in the elections; and if all parties, big or small, have asked actors/actresses to become politicians, then indeed this is somewhat an interesting, if not shocking news.
Next April, Indonesian voters will elect new members of Parliament. Political parties are now quietly launching their election campaigns. What surprised (or disturbed) many Indonesians is the high number of celebrities who were named as parliamentary candidates.
For example, the National Mandate Party or PAN registered 22 singers, actors and actresses as their candidates. There is a running joke that the new name of PAN is now the “National Artists Party.”
Pemiloopy identifies the issue:
“The one election issue in the news at the moment is the trend for celebrities to stand for election. The idea is that soap opera stars will bring voters flocking to parties because of name recognition and their ‘attractive appearance’ as one TV station put it.”
Max Lane believes the unpopularity of traditional politicians forced the parties to seek the help of popular individuals:
“Another manifestation of the cynicism towards all the parties is that the parties themselves, having picked up on how much they are disliked, have increasingly put forward candidates not associated with them historically. Thus they nominate showbiz celebrities, religious figures, academics and other non-party community personalities.”
The RAB Experience discusses “celebrity politics” in Indonesia:
“The Indonesian parliament has a good cross-section of the Indonesian entertainment industry populating its halls of power. As Indonesia enters into an election cycle the political horse trading that goes on to get candidates into the fold will start in earnest. In a country with a population of more than 220 million and myriad gossip shows the reality is that celebrities are often much more recognizable than politicians.”
Diaz Hendropriyono highlights the notable difference of showbiz candidates in Indonesia compared to other countries:
“Although there are celebrities running for political offices in other countries such as what is found in Indonesia, there is still one notable difference: The majority of Indonesian celebrities seem reluctant to run for local executive head and are more comfortable to be number two.
“The small number of celebrities who run for regional head may create negative impressions. The public may judge that these actors do not have the confidence to manage a government, thus they need to be coupled with someone who has experience in public administration and policy. Doubtless, this will eventually hurt the artists’ reputations.”
Some analysts are confident Indonesians will vote wisely:
“To avoid further electoral deterioration, many parties are seeking a shortcut. Perhaps inspired by the general perception that the majority of voters are simple people, to whom political issues do not really matter, celebrities — simply because of their popularity — are invited to save the party’s popularity by serving as vote-collecting spearheads.
“Theoretically, this line of logic might work. In practice, however, the public is not dumb enough to choose a comedian over an economist, a model over an NGO activist, or a soap-opera star over a political analyst.”
What are the reactions of ordinary Indonesians and bloggers?
Voice of Indonesia admires actress Marissa Haque who has been active in politics since 2004:
“I love her act. She's so natural, relaxed and flexible in front of the camera. I don't know much about Marissa. I only know she's a good and dedicated actress. No matter who you are, what your background, if you can deliver our voice clearly, you deserve to be there…be a parliament member.”
Inem Sukoco describes Indonesian politics as a “political opera”.
“In the last few days the media reported about the political opera, where some actors turned their ‘way of life’ as politicians. I’d rather call it as “political opera”. Since political opera and play opera are almost the same, it’s only about playing the character. Play it as great as possible, so that the audience will give a big applause.”
“They have their huge fans. Is there any other reasonable reasons? Not at all. They even have no political knowledge. All they know is just ‘how to entertain, not how to lead’. You can see it everytime they were interviewed. They acted like a fool. Can you imagine? What we can expect from incapable leaders. Nothing but popularity.”
“Though in fact, there's no much difference between play and politics. As seen on TV, or other media, how many politicians act in huge political opera, misuse of power, make a fool of people, cheating, corrupting here, there and everywhere. Playing the people's emotion. What about acting on play? Almost the same. They only need to act in nice way, so that they can play the audience's emotion.”
Former Miss Indonesia winner Angelina Sondakh is now a politician. She is also at the same time a blogger. Soap opera actor and model Adrian Maulana has a Facebook account. He will run in the elections next year.
Actress and candidate Wulan Guritno is now blogging. Her blog attracted various comments from many individuals. Some wants her to forget politics and “keep her day job” as an actress:
“I admire your honesty, your heart is in the right place. But why do you expose yourself to so much vulnerability over the internet? Honestly I love you as an actress, but you write like a high school kid, at best. I'm speaking not to deliberately hurt you, but call it as it is. How could you expect people to take you seriously when you don't know how to articulate yourself with words… bad grammar, run on sentences… etc. After all, you are considering politics. You need to learn to develop a thick skin among other things. Like I said I admire your honesty, but yeah, I agree with a previous comment…Keep your day job.”
She was called a “childish adult”.
“Reading your posting, it's obvious for me that you are such a kind of childish adult. Your way of thinking, sorry if this hurts you, but it's too plain. Being people representative needs a very well and long thinking.
“I don't know anything about politics and I don't have any right to judge you just from your way to write, but I do hope that your honesty that lead you to become a people representative will be useful when you've become a people representative later.”
Others support her pledge to improve the political situation in Indonesia:
“If you believe that you have those three: power, chance and clue. Then go for it. This country is already a mess, we've got nothing more to lose. I myself don't have power/chance/clue how to make political situation better, so I'll just sit here and wait for a miracle to come….just like most people.
“Oh just one last thing; you might be sincere now, but be aware that the politics can turn you just as ugly in no time. Soon you'll be nothing more than a politician with no people.”
Konnichiwa beaches challenges Guritno:
“Your premise that everything in life is about 50/50 chances is at best what I call bullshit and at worst just downright wrong.
“Becoming a representative of a large group of people (people who apparently you're not even familiar with) requires 100% commitment. Being a legislative rep is not gambling. It’s not about your comfort zone. And it’s definitely not about you, Wulan.
“Can you state your visions and mission in clear and well written, well spoken Indonesian?
“What sets you apart from the other celebrities running for a seat?”


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Iran: Remembering Rasoulov, a Passionate Artist  · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Mohsen Rasoulov, a passionate Iranian photographer, artist, cartoonist and photo-blogger was one of 68 passengers who lost their lives when an Iran-bound Boeing 737 crashed at the end of August this year.
According to news sites, the airplane carrying 90 people crashed just outside the airport of Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek on the 24th of August. Several Iranian bloggers, photo bloggers, and artists remembered this 24-year old, talented photographer in their blogs and sites.
Thanks to Kosoof, an Iranian photo-blogger and a friend of Rasoulov, we present here a few of his works that range from: photos to graffiti, urban-life to personal creations.
You can explore most of his photos in his photo blog, MoosVille. The last photo was uploaded five days before the crash.
Mohsen Rasoulov took a lot of snap shots of urban life such as this one:
Or this one, where a natural encounter surprises us:
Rasolouv was a graffiti-lover too, and was also well known for his creations:
More of Rasolouv's graffiti can be seen  here.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Jamaica: Post-Portia · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The whole class battle is already history and vanishes with Portia. Still, we will hear about it as long as Portia is leader of the PNP…”: Jamaica and the World examines the aftermath of the opposition's party's leadership elections.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Japan: Nobuto Hosaka on the streets of Tokyo · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Politician and blogger Nobuto Hosaka [保坂展人] of the Japan Social Democratic Party writes at his doko doko diary [保坂展人のどこどこ日記] about his experience yesterday giving speeches [ja] on the streets of Koenji [高円寺], Asagaya [阿佐ヶ谷], Ogikubo [荻窪] and Iogi [井荻] (neighborhoods of Tokyo) in preparation for upcoming elections.


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Japan: Not just Hatena, the whole Internet has too many ads · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Hatena user id:gnarl responds to id:rycotan's complaint that Japanese bookmarking service Hatena has too many ads on its keyword page with a post arguing that it's not just Hatena: the whole Internet has too many ads [ja].


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Japan: Takeda Castle, the Japanese Machu Pichu · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

An entry entitled “Japan's Machu Pichu? The ruins of Takeda Castle, Castle to the Heavens” [ja] posted at Tomorrowearth.com has an incredible set of photos (more here, here and here) of an abandoned castle in Asago city, Hyōgo Prefecture. More pictures and a map of the castle ruins here [ja].


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Japan: The changing value of knowledge · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Japanese Hatena user id:TomoMachi argues that now that everything on the Internet is so easily accessible to everyone, the value of simply “knowing something” is disappearing [ja]. User id:aureliano follows with a post pointing out that while rote memorization is becoming meaningless, the same is not true of writing an intelligent text [ja], which is as difficult as ever. id:aureliano goes on to list 10 points to consider in producing such a well-written text.


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Jordan: Exciting Games  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Games don't impress me much. They're all the same to me. If you've played it once, it doesn't matter how much the graphics change they all appear the same from that point onward….Unless you do something profoundly different… like Lucas Arts in this AMAZING Game…,” writes an excited Qwaider, from Jordan.


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Jordan: Honour Crimes Condoned  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Jordan, Naseem Tarawanah gives us a shocking preview of honour crimes in his country, where judges seem to condone such actions.