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Cartoons of Prophet & Nuclear Crisis · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

12 cartoons of Islam Prophet published by the Danish newspaper, Jyllands Posten, is a hot topic among Iranian bloggers.View from Iran, an Iran based blogger says:
“I have been disgusted – yes that is the right word – by the arguments on both sides:
the cartoon supporters and the cartoon detractors. Both are a bit incoherent and dogmatic As if free speech demands the printing and reprinting of the cartoons ad nauseum… and as if blasphemy is a legitmate legal ruling in today's world”.
Yek Estekan Chayi Dagh (Persian – means A Cup of hot tea) writes concerning violent demonstrations. He says this kind of actions have nothing to do with Prophet’s behaviour and teachings. He adds this kind of violent actions just reinforce far right anti immigrant political parties.
In an Islamist blog, Edoarno Agnelli (Persian), we read a cleric in Norway had said the war started and Norwegian or Danish excuses don’t change anything. Moslems must prepare themselves for war.
Another Islamist blog, Entegham (Persian – means Revenge) has published Norwegian & Danish products ‘photos and invited people to boycott them. Blogger also invited hackers to attack embassies’ sites which insulted Prophet!
Another hot issue is Atomic Energy Agency’s decision to report Iran to UN Security Council.Bloggers consider this event as an earthquake in Iranian diplomacy and consider Iranian government very naïve to believe in Eastern countries such as India and China.
Shahram Kholdi, a UK  based blogger & academic, says :
“India stands out as an example that even the emerging major power is not willing to lose its favoured status in areas such as software technology exchange with the US, or its own nuclear technology deals with the US, or its space technology aspirations, or its aspirations to gain a permanent seat on the Security Council of the UN, in favour of the very much needed gas pipe line that the Iranian regime had promised to her to provide. After all, none of these aspirations are worth compromising relative to a small country like Iran”.
FM Sokhan, Iran based blogger & journalist (Persian) writes, China India and Russia which promised to back Iran, left Iranian government alone. He considers as an earthquake which shakes Iranian diplomatic machine & its responsible’s childish beliefs.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Chechen Underground Government Reshuffle · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

David McDuff at A Step At A Time has translated, for the Prague Watchdog, Ruslan Isayev's piece on the recent reshuffle in the “underground Chechen government”: “After the death last year of Aslan Maskhadov, President of independent Chechnya, the differences of opinion between the radical and moderate representatives of the Chechen resistance were obvious, but almost no one expected them to be manifested so soon. […] In short, it can now be boldly asserted that the radicals are winning this struggle.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil: Everyone Loves Condoms · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Risa writes about “An Interesting Proposal” made by the mayor of the Colombian town, Tulua which would “require all the residents over 14 to carry a condom with them at all times.  If someone is stopped and doesn't have a condom they will be required to pay 408 pesos ($108).” Risa adds that Colombia has the highest number of AIDS cases in South America and that Tulua has the second highest number of cases in Colombia. Andrés Duque writes about a Venezuelan photographer living in Spain who is pushing a pro-contraception movement called “BEARback Yes, Bareback No” in English, or in Spanish, “Pelos Sí, a Pelo NO.” Finally, Paxalles links to an article which says that 25 million condoms will be distributed at this year's Carnival in Brazil.

author: David Sasaki


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Costa Rica: International Observers Kept Out of Hand Count · Global Voices
David Sasaki

José Daniel says it could be more than 15 days until Costa Rica's new president is declared. Bob Glass writes that the TSE elections committee has refused to allow international observers to monitor the hand count currently underway. According to Glass, “A group of 30 people held vigil on Monday night to pressure the use of international NGOs in the count.” Boz finds it surprising that Haiti's new president will be declared before Costa Rica's.


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El Salvador: Election analysis · Global Voices
David Sasaki

With just a month left until El Salvador's elections, Tim looks at the polls to find, among other things, that current president Tony Saca has a 76% rate of approval of those surveyed.


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Ethiopia: Book Club · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Aqumada reports on an Ethiopian book club that was set up to encourage more Ethiopians to read…”The club sent its far reaching tentacles nationwide to be able to offer memberships to a great number of people. The way it works is simple. I get one new book a month and every three months a newsletter (can see samples, especially page 8 here and here )accompanies the book. The newsletter has a book review section where books I will be getting have been reviewed”.

author: Sokari Ekine


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Ethiopia: Iris aid  · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

EthioBlog points to an article in the Irish Examiner which states that “Irish development aid may be propping up a corrupt government regime in Ethiopia“..


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From the Ethiopian blogosphere · Global Voices
Andrew Heavens

Ethiopia's bloggers were split right down the middle after months of political turmoil in the country simmered down in to an uneasy calm, broken only by a handful of mysterious explosions in the capital Addis Ababa.
The diaspora blogging scene – dominated by native Ethiopians settled in the US – filled the short lull with lengthy but compelling think-pieces. They focused firmly on the big picture, covering everything from life as a naturalized American to the importance of caring for your neighbour.
The Addis-based blogging scene – dominated by expatriate westerners and other ‘ferengis’ – turned to the minutiae of city life. They focused firmly on the small picture, covering everything from the country's first ever dog show to the length of Addis wedding convoys.
One notable new appearance inside Ethiopia was Revolutions Per Beat, a multi-author blog dedicated to the local music scene, started by the blogger behind Satisfy My Soul (Ego) and contributed to by the blogger behind Things We Should Have Written Down.
One notable new trend among the diaspora was the growing number of posts written in one of the country's main languages, Amharic – a new subset of Ethiopian blogging pioneered by Aqumada and taken on by relative newcomer Enset.
Ethiopian politics – and the continued unrest over last year's controversial national elections – remained under the surface of most blog posts. EthioPundit took Bono to task over what he saw as generally sympathetic comments by the U2 lead singer about Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
Back when Audrey Hepburn was a UN Ambassador for Hunger or something like that the whole international caring celebrity thing was just fine because it was about drawing popular attention to a subject. Now, when celebrities expect to make policy and are listened to against all human experience and evidence in support of what are frankly bad guys, the time has come to tune out the world of cool caring celebrity.
Seriously, what was Angelina Jolie really doing at Davos?
Another political event that caught bloggers’ attention was the Ethiopian government's expulsion of the Associated Press journalist Anthony Mitchell towards the end of January.
Meskel Square reported on the decision; …My heart's in Accra worried about the long term implications for media coverage in the country; ET Blogs & Diaries thought the expulsion would at least provoke other mainstream journalists to step up their coverage of the country; and Weichegud! ET Politics was brilliantly “outraged”.
Seriously. I know as an Imperial-Derg revanchist/chauvinist/cyber warrior in the Diaspora I am in no position to be giving advice to the EPRDF’s unlettered apprentices, but… what the fuck! Which EPRDF apparatchik thought it was a stroke of brilliance to kick out Anthony? Now whenever the over-fraught, half-wit EPRDF schlemiels are paraded out to defend the government (or beg for food), they will be confronted by indignant ferenjie reporters who are outraged, I tell you, outraged.
Seriously.

author: Andrew Heavens


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Guyana: Eulogy for slain journalist · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

On his personal blog, Indo-Guyanese political party leader Ravi Dev reproduces the eulogy he delivered at the funeral of controversial Afro-Guyanese journalist Ronald Waddell, who was murdered in January.

author: Georgia Popplewell


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Haiti: National Anthem heals tension · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Baturrico relates (ES) an anecdote from the February 7 general elections in Haiti, where the tension over the long wait in one voting center is defused by the singing of La Dessalinienne, the Haitian national anthem.


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Happy Prešeren Day! · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Today is Prešeren Day in Slovenia (aka the Day of National Culture): the death anniversary of Francè Prešeren (1800-1849), the country's beloved poet. For the third year in a row, Michael M. of The Glory of Carniola celebrates it by interviewing the poet's living namesake (this year it's Matjaž Prešeren, 32, of Maribor).


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Honduras: Suyapa Pilgramage · Global Voices
David Sasaki

James, a Christian volunteer in Honduras, writes of his experience in the the Suyapa pilgrimage which ends at a large Cathedral on a hill above Tegucigalpa.


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Indonesia: Friendster and Islamic Affiliation · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Indonesia Matters searches Friendster to find out with which local Islamic movement most Indonesian youth online affiliate themselves.  His conclusion: the most popular Islamic party among the hip, connected, urban young who populate Friendster happens to be the one of the most Islamist.

author: Jose Manuel Tesoro


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Iran: Danish Cartoons again! · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Mr.Behi, Iran based blogger, says  even if we suppose that the newspaper wanted to show the “ugly face of intolerant hard-line Muslims of our time” It was easier to symbolise them in better ways without mixing them with the roots of the religion and without offending the entire race of the believers. Be aware that the hard-line Muslim leaders around the world are doing their best to prove that “west is trying to destroy Islam”.


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Israel: People for the Safe Use of the Internet · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

As a result of a tragic event in my family, in which my son, being in depression, received encouragement and instructions how to commit suicide over the net, 8 years ago, which resulted shortly in his death, I decided to set up a non-profit organizatioon in Israel, called ESHNAV, translated in Hebrew to “People for Safe Internet“, Dr. Avshalom Aderet said.
ESHNAV is promoting the public’s awareness of the positive and negative effects of the use of the Internet on society and its values, and for the furthering of the appropriate and safe use of the Internet.

author: Haitham Sabbah


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Kenya: government waste · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Kenyan Pundit comments on government waste in Kenya and calls for a Freedom of Information Act in the country and for more Kenyans to question their government.


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Kenya: Women’s problems · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Magaidi writes that women's problems should be seen as society's problems otherwise they will remain in the “back burner of society's hot stove“.


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Kyrgyzstan: Russian Emigration · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Ben Paarmann says that Russian emigration from Kyrgyzstan is on the rise.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Latin America: Aid to Latin America in the 2007 request · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Adam Isacson has a meticulous analysis of the U.S. State Department's “Function 150″ aid to Latin America request. In what might be a joke, he tells readers to not expect too much detail.


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Le Pangolin Advises Africans to Purchase Stock in Companies that Exploit their Resources · Global Voices
Alice Backer

In light of Indian company  Mittal Steel's  recent attempt to acquire Arcelor,  a European counterpart, Congolese blogger Mouele Kibaya advises  at Le Pangolin that  (FR) Africans purchase stock in companies that exploit African raw materials.  He continues:  “Ivory Coast should purchase stock in leading cocoa companies.  Congo should use its meager oil royalties to purchase Total stock on the Paris stock market.”

author: Alice Backer


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Malaysia: The Cartoons · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Malaysian blogger Mack Zulkifli weighs in on the Danish cartoons controversy: “As far as I can see, in this specific conflict, nobody is coming out the winner. This is not freedom of speech. Don't champion it.”


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“Mud-Slinging Month” in Ukraine · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Dan McMinn of Orange Ukraine describes how Ukrainian politicians are finding all kinds of faults with one another – and aren't likely to stop anytime soon, definitely not until the March 26 parliamentary election is over.


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Nepal: Election Time · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The municipal elections in Nepal begin with an uneasy calm. United We Blog! has some images from Khatmandu on the day of the elections.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Nigeria: Census · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

TIGblogs provides a detailed explanation  of everything you need to know about Nigeria's forthcoming census.


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Nigeria: Danish cartoons · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Nigerian Times  adds his thoughts to the Prophet Mohammed cartoons and reactions by Muslims to the publication.


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Pakistan: Image of Islam · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

While the controversy of the Danish Cartoons continues, Raheel asks some pertinent questions on what Islam is doing to improve its own image.


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Philippines: How to Write About the Philippines · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Inspired by the Granta essay “How to Write about Africa,” Torn and frayed in Manila posts on how to write about the Philippines. “For your cover, only a jeepney or a smiling Filipina with a flower behind her ear will do.”


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Snapshot of Venezuela · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Flickr user, Ram Martinez recently uploaded this photo, “The Procession (Sea of People)” and explained the event in an informative description which I will have translated here.
La Divina Pastora (The Divine Shepherdess) is one of Venezuela's most important religious icons. She is the patron saint of the city of Barquisimeto and is one of the most followed virgin saints in this region of the country. Every 14th of January is celebrated with a crowded procession in which this image is carried from Santa Rosa to the capital of the state, Lara. Later, it returns to its native town, passing by the temples and churches of each parish along the way.
According to the history books, this deity comes from Sevilla, Spain. A Capuchino priest by the name of Isidoro received a revelation in one of his dreams. It was the image of the divine Shepherdess. A few days later, he gave the artist, Miguel Alonso de Tovar a detailed description in order to create a painting. The image of the virgin in a shepherd's hat, covered in a blue cloak, holding a baby in her left hand and a lamb in her right, was called, “Divine Shepherdess of Souls.”
Years later, the sculptor Francisco Antonio Gijón carved a to-scale sculpture of the Divine Shepherdess and in 1705, it was carried in its first procession in this European country.
The history of the Divine Shepherdess in Venezuela goes back to 1736 when the parish priest of Santa Rosa commissioned a sculptor do do a piece of the Immaculate Conception. Without any explanation, the figure that arrived was the one of the Divine Shepherdess and although the priest wanted to return it, they were not able to carry it back to the shipping container. The whole town deduced from the strange fact that the religious efigie should remain in Santa Rosa.
In addition to this curious story, in the 19th century another fantastic event took place which ensured that this deity would become the patron saint of Lara. In 1855, there was a large cholera outbreak that hit Venezuela. Many of Barquisimeto's families suffered greatly and in desperation, sought help from the religious image. One legend says that parish priest, Jose Macario Yépez offered himself before the Virgin as the last victim of the epidemic. Some historians say that six months after the offer, the priest died and the outbreak stopped.
In commemoration of this miracle, every 14th of January a procession takes place to honor the Divine Shepherdess. It begins in the town of Santa Rosa and continues until the Metropolitan Cathedral of Barquisimeto. And from January 14th until Palm Sunday, the image of the Divine Shepherdess passes by Lara's 44 temples.
Every year, thousands of people meet to participate together in one of Venezuela's largest processions, which crosses approximately five kilometers. During the rest of the year, the icon can be found in the church of Santa Rosa, a village near the Lara's state capital. It is there that all of the region's indigenous come to venerate the Divine Shepherdess in devotion, faith, and hope. They offer the icon hats, suits, and precious fabrics. In the Caracas neighborhood, “La Pastora” a temple was constructed in 1745 dedicated to this Virgin.


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South Africa: Land issue · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Fodder comments on the land issue in South African and writes….”But the reality is that huge skew towards white ownership of land has to be redressed and so far little or nothing has happened. The problem in Zimbabwe was in part that twenty years after democracy whites still controlled the majority of the land, and we have to ensure we don't repeat that.”


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Sri Lanka: The police · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Azrael's Words on the police force in Sri Lanka. “I have several issues with the Police, the most significant being that they are not as well trained as the armed forces and I think it is this lack of training that spills over when they handle civilians.“


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SVG, Puerto Rico: Children, schools & parenting · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Two interestingly divergent views on children, schools and parenting from Abeni in St. Vincent and Lowatel in Puerto Rico.


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Tajikistan: US Response · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

James of neweurasia reports on the US reaction to Tajikistan's condemnation of the Danish Muhammad cartoons.


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The Danish cartoons dominate  the Moroccan blogs · Global Voices
Farah Kinani

As predictable, the Moroccan blogosphere reacted last week to the drawings of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), and while some bloggers condemned the Danish cartoonist , others found the reactions in some Muslim countries over exagerated.
Calm heads are needed
Samir author of the very elegant  The view from Fez regrets the way this entire  sorry mess has spiraled out of control.
The scenes of embassy burnings and calls for beheadings are playing right into the hands of the Islamophobes who want to create as much friction from the situation as possible. At the moment the Islamaphobes have gathered a lot of support from the Islamic reaction. Calm heads are needed. Dialogue and connection are what is needed now, not more provocation.
Samir also posted about some of his reader's reactions to the cartoons  earlier last week.
Bsima, the doctor who blogs screams her indignation against the all those who burned and destroyed to show their disapproval of the cartoons (French).
I'm having enough to be associated to all this violence..Islam is a  religion of peace, forgiveness ..
Geronimo is not only  disgusted (French) by the burning of the Danish embassies in Lebanon and Syria but also by the boycott of the Danish products.He finds this reaction ridiculous.
It seems that some religious decided that eating a Danish product is a sin..Come on !!
Sow wind, reap a storm..
Soumiaz states that she cannot disagree with The Muslim community  talking about cheap provocation, nor can she disapprove  the rest of the world calling it democracy. She ‘s however  ashamed for being  a human being.
Oh! I don’t know if any of you sees what I am seeing, they draw the lines and we blind as we are, we do the work for them. They say we are fanatics and we deliver, by cutting people throats on air.
Medlykos author of Peace & Love On The World Wide Weblogsphere! (French) posts that if the Danishs think  they have the right to express whathever they want , they also have to realise that they cannot dictate how some people may react when they feel humiliated by the Danish freedom of speech. The title of Medlykos'post is  Sow  wind, reap a storm.
Slix posts some comments following the reactions to the cartoons and he regrets how the blindness of the heart can lead to such extremism from both partis (French).
Amazigh expresses his rage when he first saw the cartoons wich he considers  as a war declared against the Islamic world (French).
I beg Muslims all over the world not to give the Occident the occasion to see us as terrorists . Let our governments and associations handle this problem .
Too late Amazigh!!
Coup de coeur
The view from Fez   is a must-visit blog with a welcoming design wich helps you have a taste of the well known Moroccan hospitality. I visit this blog on a daily basis, not only for its daily updated posts but also for the homey pictures i can enjoy there and remind myself of  how beautiful is Morocco!
That's it for this week. See you next Wednesday, Inshallah ;)

author: Farah Kinani


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The Illusion of “Pan-Asian Identity” · Global Voices
Tian Yi

Konrad Lawson tells a few anecdotes on a recent trip to Japan and discusses the illusion of the new pan-Asian identity movement – “a regional based ‘Asian identity’ which is constructed at the hands of intellectuals or political policy based on what will inevitably be a contradictory set of perceived commonalities between participants”.

author: Tian Yi


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“The Polish version of those cartoons?” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

In 2003, part of an installation by a Polish artist had “a photograph of a fragment of a naked male body, including the genitalia” projected on a cross. The gallery that exhibited the artwork was forced to close down; the artist was tried and sentenced to six months of community service. The Beatroot writes on “Section 196 of the Penal Code, which prohibits ‘offending religious sentiment'” and on the impact that the Christian-nationalist League of Polish Families has on Polish politics.


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The Week That Was – Bolivian Blogs · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Este artículo también está disponible en español en Blogs de Bolivia
A commenter on the most recent Spanish translation of the Global Voices summary of Bolivian blog questioned, “Aren’t there other topics? Or do all of the Bolivian blogs only cover the socio-economic areas?”  It may only seem that the emerging Bolivian blogosphere revolves around the current issues of the day relating to the elections, their aftermath and other political issues. As first mentioned on the introduction entry titled “The State of Bolivian Blogs”, there exists a wide diversity of blogs, including personal journals and other spaces for Bolivians to express themselves literarily.
A small handful of examples include: Valeria Flores Sandova from Tarija who writes at Devossol; Ada Esquirol Ríos, who currently lives in Italy and her blogs  Agüita Fresca and La Tejedora; Alejandra Estrada Guzman at El Nombre de la Estrella es Ajenjo; Mariana Ruiz at Marea y Cielo; Isabella Fuente at Ergoth; Olivia Casso and her self-titled blog.  These and more are some of the blogs which use prose and poetry to articulate thoughts and feelings by communicating with their audience.
Some blog entries take the form of vignettes of life in Bolivia and also are a popular form of expression.  Toussant and his blog La Voz de la Inconciencia recounts a bus trip, flowing chicha and a stolen wallet.
Many other Bolivians hold an interest in the world of technology.  Jose Luis Jaimes hosts his webstie Pirateando la Web, which draws attention to new software developments and other technology marvels.  Jpcik! contributes another blog called Living in the Material World heavily concentrated on computer technology issues. Blogs have been used as learning tools in many educative settings.  A classroom blog from the Universidad Tecnológica Privada de Santa Cruz (UTEPSA)  allows students from the Elective III course: Enteprising Actions participate on the blog Juventud Emprendedora (Enterprising Youth).
Photo blogs also find their place within the Bolivian blogosphere.  One of the more interesting collaborative efforts is called Punto de Vista (Point of View).  Many Bolivian bloggers contribute photos that they have taken from their point of view, especially from their bedroom window towards the outside world. Another outstanding photo blog called La Vida en una Fotografia (Life in a Photograph) created by Jorge S. in Cochabamba counts on numerous interesting photos, with several scenic pictures of his hometown at dusk.
Many Bolivians started their blog simply to write about things that they like.  Oscar, who lives in La Paz, recently started his blog called De Ahí Florece. He simply writes:
What is the purpose of this blog? Well, to talk about things that affect me, things that I like, things that I do not like.  I’ll also talk about lighter things, such as music, football, television, movies, etc.
As the growing list on Blogs Bolivia demostrates, he is not alone in writing simply about things that he likes.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Trinidad & Tobago: Respect & Carnival · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Francomenz adds her two cents’ to the debate about the boundary separating so-called “culture” from respect for private space and property in the context of Trinidad's Carnival.


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UK: racism in schools · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Pilgrmage to Self writes on racist bullying in her daughters school in England and wonders whether she should return to Nigeria or not.


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Ukrainian Politics News Roundup · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Dan McMinn of Orange Ukraine sums up the news on the gas deal with Russia, poll numbers and other campaign developments, and the neglected Georgiy Gongadze murder case.


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US Angry at The Speech of Taiwan’s President Chen · Global Voices
Tian Yi

Michael Turton in The View From Taiwan argues that the US's strong negative reaction to the Lunar New Year's speech from Taiwan's President Chen clearly shows ” how US officialdom is clueless about Taiwan“.  Chen called for seeking UN membership under the name “Taiwan” and working toward a referendum on a new Constitution.  Washington, a long-time Taiwan supporter, considers the speech an unilateral attempt to change the status-quo and thus the stability between Mainland China and Taiwan (which China regards as a renegade province).


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Venezuela: What To Do? · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Daniel Duquenal has an well-thought out six part series on Venezuela's future.


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Vodka Shortage Expected in Russia · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Andy at Taking Aim explains why Russia may soon run out of vodka.


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What It Takes to Get a Polish Marriage License · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

After a bout with bureaucracy, Kinga of Kinuk in Poland has finally obtained her Polish marriage license. Name change in her Polish passport is next.


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Zimbabwe: Opposition rejects Mbeki claims · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

The Bearded Man has a series of reports from Zimbabwe including “Zimbabwe Opposition Leaders Reject Mbeki Claims ” denying knowledge of an agreed constitution with Zanu-PF and the Zambian government states it does not want any Zimbabwean oppostion parties in the country.


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· Global Voices
Alice Backer

Musengeshi Katata  comments  (FR) on  Amely-James Koh Bela's book on African prostitution in the West at Forum Realisance:  “Can one really defend values that are everyday assaulted and eroded by poverty? …  Without a battle against poverty including against western exploitation and the depravation of African economies,  without a protracted battle against our incapable renegade politicians, we will get nowhere.”


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A Day in the Life of Children with Cancer · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Volunteers in Moscow are lending their digital cameras to children with cancer this coming Sunday, so that they could spend one day photographing their lives at the Children's Clinical Hospital. This would be the second year for Moscow's little in-patients to take part in the international contest “Through My Eyes: A Day in the Life of Children with Cancer Around the World.” Yekaterina Chistyakova, who coordinates the volunteer effort, announces this year's details (RUS) on her LiveJournal. Photographs from a year ago are here (click on each child's name to see his/her work).


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Afghanistan: Danish Cartoons! · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Afghan Lord  reports on demonstrations in Afghanistan over the Danish Muhammad cartoons.”


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All Yahoo!’s Fault? · Global Voices
Tian Yi

The Western media are condemning Yahoo!  again for handing over the personal account information of Li Zhi to the Chinese government.  Li Zhi was sentenced to 8 years in jail for ‘inciting subversion’.   In September 2005, Yahoo was accused of helping Chinese authorities identify Shi Tao, a dissident who was sentenced in April to 10 years in prison.  ESWN argues that the reporting “is completely blowing the role of Yahoo! in this case out of proportion“.


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An Orange Prank · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Petro of Petro's Jotter reports on an unlikely prank: the highway sign at the entrance to Kyiv – a 3-D word ‘Kyiv’ in huge letters and the Soviet-time ‘hero city’ underneath it – used to be blue but turned orange overnight. On the picture, it looks rather neat this way.


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Andrei Illarionov and “Nashism” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean Guillory at Sean's Russia Blog examines the points made by Andrei Illarionov, former economic adviser to Vladimir Putin, about the direction Russia has taken in the recent years.


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Argentina: Los Gauchos Gay · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Andrés Duque writes that the Latin American release of Brokeback Mountain is inspiring new reflection of sexuality and homosexuality in Argentina.


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Armenia, Azerbaijan: Peace · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Christian Garbis discusses what is at stake for Armenia in the upcoming talks with Azerbaijan over Karabakh.


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Armenia: Discontent Before Talks · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

With talks on a framework for settling the Karabakh conflict on the horizon, discontent in Armenian civil society is on the rise, reports Onnik Krikorian.


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Bahamas: Hindered by colonialism · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Colonialism still hinders the Bahamas, writes Andrew Allen. “For so long as a royal face is on our money and our Governors General continue to bow on our behalf before an English monarch, then real nationhood . . .  will be incomplete.”


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Beyond One’s League in Gay Japan · Global Voices
Tian Yi

On Chinese Chic, hcpen cites a comprehensive review article of gay life in Japan from the Japan Times, and contemplates on why a Westerner “could get guys ‘way beyond his league’ in terms of looks and age” in Japan.


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Brazil: Small Town Conservativism · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Renata Vieira, a blogger based in São Paulo reflects on the tight social networks of small towns and how they encourage conservative values.


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Brunei: Alcohol Run · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Bewildered in Brunei describes the regular run from bone-dry Brunei to a Malaysia border town to shop for alcoholic beverages. “Tedungan is the Malaysian equivalent to Calais.  The only reason for going to either place is to fill up with cheaper alcohol than you can get at home.”


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Budapest Thermal Bath is Losing Money Because of Women’s Days · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Pestiside.hu reports that unless more women start coming to Budapest's historical Rudas Thermal Bath, financial losses would be too substantial to continue with the “women only” and “co-ed” days experiment beyond the end of March.


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Cameroon: bilingualism · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Cameroon blog Scribbles from the den reflects on  Cameroon’s National Bilingualism Day – “Yes, that is the real Cameroon where the English language and English Speaking Cameroonians are treated like inconvenient step-children who are barely tolerated.”


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Caribbean: Cricket World Cup in jeopardy? · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

The West Indies Cricket Blog links to a Guardian article which casts some doubt upon the Caribbean's ability to host the Cricket World Cup in 2007.


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Central Asia: Press Freedom · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

neweurasia rounds up press freedom in Central Asia.


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China Is 80 Years Behind · Global Voices
Tian Yi

Simon World points to an amusing new study published in People's Daily (the official propagand mouthpiece of the Chinese government) today.  The study, conducted by  the Chinese Academy of Sciences, concluded that “China is still a less developed country that is 80 years behind the US, France, Sweden and Germany“, in terms of social and economic development.  Of course, the study did not discuss political development at all.


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DR: Fit to print? · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Remolacha.net is outraged (ES) that the Dominican newspaper El Nacional is running a photo of two dead children on the front page of today's edition, and asks: “isn't there a law to protect the children's identity?”


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DRC soccer federation  · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Black Star Journal comments on the failure of the The DRC's soccer federation to inform their player LuaLua on the death of his son for over two weeks.


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Early Elections in Slovakia · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Lemuel Kolkava of This Blog will be Deleted by Tomorrow comments on the Slovak lawmakers’ decision to move this year's elections from September to June 17: “Will they, won’t they, will they have early elections? (Yes) Will this influence the NASDAQ or Dow Jones indices in any way? (No)”


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East Timor, Indonesia: Reconciliation · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

tumbleweed in timor lorosae summarizes a film about the process of reconciliation in East Timor that had been banned from the Jakarta Film Festival.  Until 1999, East Timor was occupied by Indonesia


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Ethiopia: jailing of pregnant journalist · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

The Passion of the Present reports on the jailing of “A pregnant reporter has been jailed in Ethiopia for more than two weeks”…..”Press freedom advocates have criticised the arrest without charge of online journalist Frezer Negash, who works for the U.S.-based Ethiopian Review website, which is critical of the government.”


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Ethiopia: The economy of revolutionary democracy · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Ethiopundit is serializing over a number of posts, Chapter 16: The Economy of “Revolutionary Democracy” from Dr. Theodore Vestal's remarkable book Ethiopia: A Post-Cold War African State.


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Ghana: bird flu in Nigeria · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

The Trials and Tribulations of a Freshly Arrived Denzien  comments on the outbreak of  Avian flu in Nigeria which he says shows Africa is a high risk from the disease.


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Guatemala: Teachers’ Protest · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Guate360 has a description and photo of a teachers’ strike (ES) which filled the plaza in front of the National Palace.


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Haiti: Too soon to tell · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

The rumour mill and the international press anticipate a victory by Haitian presidential candidate René Préval, but Charlito News — a blog dedicated to news about presidential candidate Charles Henri Baker —  says it's too soon to tell.


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India: Clemenceau and Greenpeace · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

In Perpetual Transition provides some perspective on the French ship headed towards Indian Waters – Clemenceau.


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India: Living with HIV · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Lives in Focus has a feature on a woman who worries for her daughter who is HIV positive.


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Indonesia: Paying for Journalism · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

On Indonesia's Press Day, Yosef Ardi wonders who will pay for good journalism.


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Iran: Only Solution! · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Mehrangiz Kar (Persian), US based human rights activist & blogger, says not only extremist forces inside Iranian State don't want any direct negotiation with US but some other Iranians reject this idea because, for them, it will reinforce Islamic State. Blogger thinks under huge pressure of their public opinion, extremist forces in US & Iran will acceptto negotiate directly with each other. For Mehrangiz Kar it is the only solution.


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Iraq: Childrens Games · Global Voices
Salam Adil

Baghdad Treasure is shocked how Iraqi children's games have turned into enactments of the violence seen on the streets of Baghdad: “I remember seeing Yousif imitating a security contractor guarding a convoy and pointing his gun at his friends … Dhuha, his 5-year-old friend imitated a woman scared and running in the street while Younis, his 5-year-old brother … imitated an insurgent carrying his rifle and calling his friends to chase and kill another friend, Omar, who was imitating an American individual.”

author: Salam Adil


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Kenya: Anglo Leasing · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Kenyan Musings adds her voice to the Anglo-Leasing scandal in Kenya.…”We need food aid for 4 million Kenyans, yet, the cabinet thinks that sending a mace to London to be polished for 2 million (it could have been done here for 20, 000 but noooooooooo! fuckers don play that!, to say nothing of denying locals an opportunity to earn 20k. Ngai!!) is of more priority than a child whose insides are digesting themselves in hunger.”


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Kenya: thoughts on Samburu Land · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Afromusings posts her thoughts on a recent article in the N Y Times  Magazine on Samburu Land which is in northern Kenya – a place she has recently visited.


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Landing at the Iraqi Blogodrome · Global Voices
Salam Adil

When I agreed to do this column I was thinking – “well this can't be too bad” – “there is a level amount of new stuff posted every week” – “I can handle it”. But I did not account for a full-blown international conflict of cultures that set the Iraqi bloggers alight. Even Zeyad was goaded into breaking a four month blog-slumber. Otherwise, the Iraqi bloggers are still serving up their usual gems of wisdom. I have a bit of politics, word from the streets, and if you read to the end there is love at first sight.
Today's Must-Reads:
Riverbend keeps her wit sharp. She posts her opinions on the elections and relates a vivid image of the current Iraqi prime minister.
“I was changing channels a couple of weeks ago and I came across Jaffari speaking to students from Mustansiriya University- one of Iraq’s largest universities, with campuses in several areas in Baghdad. I couldn’t see the students- he might have been speaking with a group of penguins, for all I could tell.”
The Woman I Was remembers a dog called “Timer”:
“Timer; the explosive- sniffer that was in service close to the Palatine Hotel. I do not know how many times, Timer blocked us inside the hotel because he suspected there were explosives in a car or a camera; we were blocked waiting the American explosive teams to come to deal with Mr. Timer findings!!”
She also points out:
“In a study published when Oil for Food program became valid, the research wrote that the allocation for every UN dog was $1000 per month while the allocation for every Iraqi was $5 per month.”
Life can be cheap.
Truth teller relates a true story:
“When the first Stryker passed me, a soldier riding on top fired two shots in my direction. One bullet came in through the half-opened driver's window and hit the window of the opposite door, smashing it to pieces. Thank God, somehow it missed me.”
Iraq the Model blogs about politics and food:
“The key is food! namely “Quzi” and “Teshreeb” and our politicians are doing a good job utilizing the effects of Quzi to push the talks forwards and reach agreements on issues that were viewed as tough obstacles”
Salam Pax gives us a conundrum:
“Security needs money,
Money comes from oil,
Oil needs foreign investment,
And foreign investment wants security.”
Asterism (that's me) wonder's if Bush's recently published budget indicates that America is planning to withdraw from Iraq before 2007.
“So Bush plans to spend $70 billion less next year and nothing after 2007. So how is he going to pull this off?”
On to those cartoons:
Feelings are strong and varied. The first post I noticed was from Majed who asked his readers to sign a petition to be sent to the minister of foreign affairs in Denmark. “This petition is very important because [the cartoons are] an attack against one-fifth of the population of the world” he wrote.
A Family in Baghdad then posted a letter received in response from a Christian that was offended by the cartoons:
“I'm writing to tell you that, although I was born a Christian (I grew up Catholic, to be specific), I was very offended by the “cartoons”, or caricatures as I prefer to call them, of the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him). You might wonder, how can I be offended if I am not a Muslim?”
Read on here.
Iraq the Model really did not want to join the debate – but could not resist because of “some of the most unacceptable reactions by some Muslims…more precisely by some Iraqis”. Omar goes on to criticize the transportation minister for announcing that Iraq is cutting off all relations with Denmark and Finland. “they are harming no one but Iraq and Iraqis.” and get to the point quickly: “What I want to say is that I think the reactions were planned to be exaggerated this time by some Middle Eastern regimes and are not mere public reaction.”
After a four month silence Zeyad linked to an archive of historical paintings and drawings of Mohammed and complained about the images of Muslim protests in London: “For the life of me, I cannot understand how the British police let those demonstrators get away with it. The protesters are blasting free speech in Europe, yet they are using that same free speech to call for murder and bloodshed.”
Baghdad Dweller points out that all three monotheist religions forbid idolatry.
An Iraqi Tear asks “why Allah is terrorist while God is not..” she goes on to explain: “When Ben Laden , here I should admit that I do not agree with Ben Laden and his style in defending Islam, said Allah ordered him to hit WTI became a terrorist but when Bush said that God inspired him to invade Iraq became a man for peace..”. She goes on to inform us “In Iraq there are hands behind the curtains made benefits from those bloody cartoons and attacked the churches..”.
Alaa from The Mesopotamian says “I am a practicing believer in the religion of Islam; so naturally I consider it offensive to show disrespect to Islamic religious symbols” but “there are those who wish to harm relations between the West in General and the Moslem World and more particularly we should not forget the contribution of Denmark to the allied effort in Iraq.” He also draws our attention to a statement from Al-Sistani that deplores the cartoons but “clearly lays the blame on the extremists and Takfiris for the harm done to the image of Islam in the World”.
Truth About Iraqis points out the hypocrisy of Arabs who demonstrate against the cartoons but ignore “the tragedy in Iraq”. He asks: “Where is the Arab valor and honor now? How many Embassies did the valiant Arabs burn when the horrific tortures of Abu Ghraib came to light?”
Word from the Streets:
Christopher Albritton revisits the Hamra Hotel that was bombed in November. “The building is being repaired, but it’s still grim inside. Bloodstains still adorn the walls where fleeing residents pressed their hands against the wall”. He also posts the video and analyses the method of the people who carried out the bombing.
Omar from Iraq the Model takes a short break from blogging on politics to give us his impression of the trial of Saddam Hussain and some background on the fuel shortage: “Right now the situation is like this; you go to one gas station and you find a line that is a mile long and you go to another one to see there's technically no line at all! … the reason is quite simple”.
Ibn_Alrafidain relates his thoughts about Saddam's Trial. “The majority of Iraqis, including me, have never seen similar trials before. The most famous trial in Iraq is (The Court of People). It is publicly known as (Court of Mahdawee) after the name of Colonel Mahdawee head of the court. This court had been held between the years (1958-63) to try senior officials of the monarchical regime ruled Iraq before 1958.”
Truth About Iraqis talks of ethnic cleansing of Sunni's: “Iraqi Sunni leaders have been for weeks calling on the international community to pay closer attention to news of Sunnis targeted and killed by the Iranian Iraqi Interior Ministry.”
Memo gives us a stream of conscience. I could not understand a word of it but its not my bag. If you are young and hip – I am sure it is worth reading.
And Finally:
From Me With Love! boasts an all new and seriously Pink design. Morbid Smile asks: “What do you think of love at first sight?” She goes on to confess: “It happened to me once, actually. But no! I wasn't the one who fell in love with someone at first sight. It was him who did! I was still at high school at that time, it was probably 1997…” Read on to find out more.
Someone please tell me what is it with girls and pink?


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Leonid Roshal and Beslan · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

W. Shedd of The Accidental Russophile links to an article on the controversial statements about the 2004 Beslan school siege trial made by Leonid Roshal, a Russian doctor who became famous during the October 2002 theater siege in Moscow. W. Shedd also writes about a school teacher from Vladikavkaz, the capital of North Ossetia, he used to correspond with: her perceptions of the region before the Beslan tragedy and how her life changed following it.


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Malaysia: Bald Heads · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Jee's Life comments on the news that the Malaysian police shaved the heads of 10 senior citizens caught playing mahjong on the second day of Chinese New Year: “It’s a pantang and prohibition for Chinese to shave their head bald during Chinese New Year, it’s just like asking a Muslim to eat and drink when they are fasting during Puasa.. it’s so humiliating!’


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Malaysia: “Sky Juice” · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

KenJJ.com discusses the odd practice in Malaysia of calling plain water “sky juice.”


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Nepal: Elections, The King and Khatmandu · Global Voices
Kamla Bhatt

The Himalayan kingdom of Nepal has been going through a political turbulence for the past few months. On February 8, 2006, Nepal held municpal elections that had low voter turnout, and failed to placate its citizen, and the  various poitical parties. The elections have come under strong criticisms as various bloggers point out in their posts.
Even before people went to cast their votes there has been a heated debate about the elections. For instance Nepal Lawdiscusses the ramifications of allowing voters to cast their votes without proper identification, and  points out that it is inconsistent with the consititutional law of the country. How did the election commission allow such a thing to pass they question?
Buddha, a Nepali student studying in Singapore wrote about the upcoming elections in a post called Nepal Elections: Bullet vs. Ballot.Blogdai has some insightful observations about elections and the low turnout rate in his blog Nepal Now . Low turnout rate should not be associated with political apathy blogdai argues. Instead, it should be seen as an encouraging sign of a people who are “desperate for change,” and willing to give up their life for it.
Maila Baje of Nepali Notebook calls the elections as “A Sham with Symbolism” and says: “For a regime facing scathing criticism at home and abroad for failing to keep its pledges, moreover, holding the local elections on schedule provided a rare opportunity to respond.” Mero Sansar is a blog written in Nepali that translates into “My World” has an entry about a peaceful protest. Through my rudimentary knowledge of Nepali I was able to figure that out that the latest post is about a peaceful protest. He also has an audio update of the election that you can listen here Mero Sansar also has video and audio posts about Nepal, and you can check out the past couple of weeks. Jackaranda has a nice news summary about the elections. Deepak Adhikari of Kathmandu has a post called Nepal: An Election Fiasco and the picture in the post speaks volumes.
Publius Pundit has a post titled “Nepal's King Solidifies His Illegitimacy.” He says: “In reality, this election is not about restoring democracy, but trying to establish a legitimacy for the King’s power grab. Unfortunately for him, the mass boycott of the polls has dealt him a much different deck of cards.” And if you can read Nepali here is a blog maintained by Nepali journalists, who write on freedom and democracy.
(Note – United We Blog has been down for a couple of days now and this appears to be the reason.)

author: Kamla Bhatt


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Nigeria: Bridge in 60 days · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Grandiose Parlor points to a bridge building project in Anhambra State in the East of Nigeria that was completed in only 60 days.  The bridge “is 264 feet long and can carry a 3-ton vehicle. The most amazing fact is the construction was done without any heavy equipment! The only mechanized assistance came from a Chinese-made bulldozer used to grade the access road to the bridge.”


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Nigeria: Cheap Chinese products · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

On a lighter mode comments on the cheap prices of Chinese products and “thanks God for China” but wonders “will Africa continue to be consumers of goods produced elsewhere?”


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Nigerian Blogs round-up · Global Voices
Oluniyi D. Ajao

The Nigerian blogosphere this week is again not unconnected to the ungoing MTN African Cup of Nations (Egypt 2006).
Chippla starts the discourse when with this assertion:
“The 25th African Cup of Nations 2006 has been on in Egypt since January 20, 2006. When one looks at the teams still left in the tournament, which is currently in the quarterfinals stage, one cannot but weep about Africa's anticipated performance in the forthcoming World Cup in Germany later this year.
Of the five African nations that qualified for the World Cup 2006–Tunisia, the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Angola–only two are currently left in the tournament. Ghana, Togo and Angola simply could not make it through the first round.”
David of Just thots by a Naijaman chooses to be sarcastic with the Super Eagles of Nigeria over thier defeat at the tournament by Cote d'Ivoire with his poem-like blog entry. This two first paragraphs reads:
Super Eagles, wingless eagles
visionless eagles!
Eagles without a purpose and a plan.
Eagles without a leader,
a rudderless plane
a reed shaken with the wind
Eagles, more like chickens
Super chickens!
trampled by the elephants
mauled by the lions
scared by hawks,
scarred by the stars.
Jeremy of Naijablog chooses to be more sympathetic with the Super Eagles of Nigeria. He titles his blog entry “Pele Eagles” which literally translates into “Sorry, Eagles”.
“The Super Eagles go out in the ACN semis yet again. I can't help thinking the superior height of the Ivorians had a part to play in the defeat – not just Drogba up front, but the huge defensive wall…”
The fact that the much-feared bird flu BBB has hit Africa (Nigeria, specifically) was all over the international media this week. Some Nigerian bloggers shared their thought on  this.
Musings of a Naijaman states:
“Just as we were recovering from our losing to Cote D'Ivoire in the African Cup of Nations and were slowly creeping back to the third term agenda- whether or not to allow President Obasanjo alter the constitution to continue in office- and other sundry matters (like the planned Nigerian police strike), comes news this morning that the H5N1 flu virus has been detected in a poultry farm, in Kaduna, a few hours drive from Kano where legislators yesterday burnt the Danish flag (another instance of taking Panadol for another man's headache). Perhaps this will help focus the minds of the third term agitators and others pursuing trivia on what is really important…..”
Me, Myself & I sees it from a slightly different angle though:
“…On Monday, Nigerian officials said that initial tests on chickens that mysteriously died in another state of northern Nigeria showed no sign of bird flu.
Nigerian authorities nevertheless urged farmers to monitor their flocks and report strange ailments to authorities. Kano state set up a committee of veterinary surgeons to visit farms and watch out for evidence of a bird flu outbreak.”
Nigeria got into the world news as a result of the symbolic burning of Danish flags by some MPs in Kano state of Nigeria. Nigerian bloggers bared thier minds on this.
Grandiose Parlor kicks-off by saying:
“Nigerian MPs [Members of the Parliament / members of House of Assembly ] cheered in the northern majority Muslim state of Kano as Danish and Norwegian flags were burned in a ceremony in the parliament premises.”
Ijebuman's Diary adds his view on this issue:
“It seems there's no getting away from this issue, our politicians have got in on the act as well. As long as it's just flags they are burning and it doesn't turn into the usual religious riots this part of the country is well known for.”
Kayode Muyubi of Kazey's Journal askes: “Does the right to freedom of speech justify printing the Danish cartoons?“
“When it comes to ethical conduct in regards to any issue, what makes an action right and wrong is the principle inherent in the action. If an action is done from a sense of duty, if the principle of the action can be universalised, then the action is right. Although, it is essentially impossible for all people to share the same applied eithics in details and thus applying certain ethical rule to conclude to the subject at hand is not fair. Morality is questioned again.”
Nigerian Times pacifies the muslims worldwide:
“What is in an imaginary drawing of someone who lived and died centuries ago and none of us knows what he or she looked like? Just like that imaginative drawing or painting of Jesus Christ. God knows that the illustration is not His beloved Son Jesus Christ. But, He has not sent hail stones of His fiery anger to burn us to cinder. God is ever merciful as long as we repent. God is not a suicide bomber and He does not behead people. Because, God is not a Muslim. And God is not a Christian. God is not a Democrat and God is not a Republican. Infact, God does not love President George Walker Bush more than Osama bin Laden.”

author: Oluniyi D. Ajao


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Pakistan: From Peshawar · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Amit goes to Peshawar and narrates some stories from the very edge of Pakistan.


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Philippines, India: Why Does the Philippines Hate India? · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

A cross-cultural discussion at Sepia Mutiny, sparked by results from a BBC World poll that showed that the Philippines, among 33 countries, had the most negative impression of India.  Manish thought it was because India and the Philippines are global competitors in the services sector, the Unlawyer in Manila is puzzled because locals pay little attention to India while one Filipino commenter believes it's because Indians in the Philippines are associated with moneylending.


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Colombia: Hernán Giraldo · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Adam Isacson tells the story of Hernán Giraldo, a drug-trafficking paramilitary leader, who will be released from prison in six and a half years as a beneficiary of the “Justice and Peace Law.”


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Puerto Rico: Closer to Latin America? · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

RazaTaina is intrigued by the assertion by the widow of Puerto Rican independence activist Filiberto Ojeda that Puerto Rico considers itself more a part of Latin America than the US. The 72 year-old Ojeda, who was wanted in the US, was killed last September in an FBI raid.


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Singapore: Maturity · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

A worm's perspective wonders if Singapore is really such a mature society.


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Somalia: Empty airports · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Work 4 Change comments on the “forgotten flag” of Somalia which s/he came across in the  empty airport in Garowe “There is NO OFFICES or people to welcome you or collect taxes from you. I was informed. although can not confirm, that this airport is used by cargo planes only”


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South Asia: In conversation with Adam Greenfield · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Kamla in conversation with Adam Greenfield (author of Everyware) at TalkNewsIndia.


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St. Lucia, Trindad: The roots of internalized racism · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

The brutal beating of a black British tourist at the hands of St. Lucian police officers is the catalyst for a rant on the complexities of black-on-black racism  by St. Lucia-based Trinidadian blogger Alien in the Caribbean.


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Thailand: Ghost Stories · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Brain farts (and other inane crap) has a scary, unexplainable encounter in her school bathroom after the death of a professor. “What I DO know is that I totally believe in ghosts now. I swear I will never laugh at another ghost story again. “


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Ukrainian News Roundup · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Scott W. Clark does a Ukrainian news roundup at Foreign Notes: the Gongadze murder case proceedings should be open to the public; the Danish cartoons have been reprinted in a Ukrainian paper Segodnya; the Russian navy will not stay in Crimea beyond 2017; and it's cold here, so cold that nearly 800 people have died already and several hundred houses still remain without heating in a town in Eastern Ukraine.


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Uzbekistan: Discouraging Future · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Registan.net sounds a discouraging note on Uzbekistan's near future.


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Uzbekistan: Earthquake Scare · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

T-Moor reports that Tashkent was gripped with fear today over rumors of an impending earthquake.


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Martinique, Guadeloupe: UDF visit · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Le Blog de l'UDF,  the blog of  a French centrist party, reports  (FR) its leader Francois Bayrou's visit to French overseas departments Martinique and Guadeloupe.  In his post-visit press conference Bayrou cited the unaddressed psychological consequences of slavery, rampant unemployment, a banana industry crisis, immigration from neighboring Caribbean nations, and transportation and development problems as hurdles faced by the two departments.


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· Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Gustav of the Warsaw Station reports on the meeting between Poland's president Kaczyński and George Bush, during which Bush, among other things, asked Kaczyński for “his advice on Ukraine.” Gustav also writes that president Kaczyński and some political analysts expect Poland's relationship with Russia to improve soon.


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Armenia, Azerbaijan: NK Peace · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Oneworld Multimedia has plenty of discussion of talks in France between Armenia and Azerbaijan to reach a settlement over Nagorno Karabakh, including that a US military presence in the region may be key to lasting peace.


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Armenia: Hye Tghek · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Who knew Armenians Could Rap? posts about Hye Tghek, a Yerevan rap duo.


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Armenia: Yeraz Art · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Raffi Meneshian, a blogger at Life in the Armenian Diaspora, writes about joining Yeraz Art, a nonprofit that assists young Armenian musicians in finding venues to perform internationally and helps fund their education.


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Bangladesh: The blog meet · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

moodlogic with an update on the recent (and first ever) Bangladeshi Bloggers Meet with a photograph!


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“Billboard Ballyhoo” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Lemuel Kolkava of Deleted by Tomorrow writes about a funny development in the Slovak politics: because of the early election, the party that most wanted it now risks being left without space for campaign ads – “most of the billboards were already rented by private companies in the preparation for their own summer campaigns.”


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Bolivia: Troubled Airline and U.S. Relations · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Eduardo Ávila has two posts on the current troubles for the airline, Lloyd Aereo Boliviano (LAB). Jim Shultz tries to decipher Washington's mixed signals towards Bolivia and then calls a rumored reduction of US aid to the country a “good thing twice.”


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Brazil: Carnival, Football, and Elections · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Ricardo Héctor, a Brazilian living in Chile, says it's going to be a busy year for Brazilians with Carnival right around the corner, a difficult World Cup tournament in Germany, and federal and local elections. Brazil Uncovered is a weblog which recorded the journey of Doug Banks and Dan Osborne as they sought to re-ignite their faith in football by journeying to Brazil.


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Cambodia: Scary Movie · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

KhmerAK watches a Cambodian horror movie and gives the plot away: “Srey Neang become a very Scary Ghost!!! She go back to village and kill peoople who have killed her family!…Nobody can stop her!!!”


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Collectively At Hyundai In China · Global Voices
Tian Yi

Jamie on Two Koreas considers it significant that the All China Federation of Trade Unions is pressuring for a collective bargaining agreement at Hyundai's China operation , even though China restricts collective union actions.


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Costa Rica: On Ballots and TP · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Costa Rica en el Presente has unofficial election results which are being thrown around as the Supreme Election Tribunal (TSE) continues to hand count ballots. In what Bob Glass calls a “fitting end,” those 7.7 million paper ballots may end up recycled as toilet paper.


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DR, USA: Deejay documetary · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Sr. Diaz posts his 14-minute documentary (ES) on New York-based Dominican deejay DJ Chucky.


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Ecuador: History and Analysis · Global Voices
David Sasaki

In a somewhat enigmatic, but very informative series of four posts, S. Artesian of The Wolf Report describes, “The Importance of Being Ecuador.”


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Estonian Beauty Contests · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Inspired by a Finland blogger, Giustino at Itching for Eestimaa discusses something as relative as female beauty – and the lack of it – and writes on the Miss Estonia and Miss Tallinn contests.


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Ethiopia: winter olympics · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Ethioblog writes on Ethiopian cross country skier, Robel Teklemariam who will be the only Ethiopian and possibly African participating at this months Winter Olympics …..”Robel Teklemariam said he hopes his countrymen's long-distance records on the track will translate into success in the cross-country skiing events.”


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Georgia: The Fitness Scene · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Ben Wheeler has a postage stamp sized portrait of the Georgian gym scene.


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“Go Back to Slovenia!” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Michael M. at The Glory of Carniola writes that Slovenian women were portrayed as not pretty in a 2002 Ali G's movie – and how Slovenians remained unmoved by it.


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Guyana: A local Muslim on the cartoons · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Guyanese Muslim blogger Qays finally weighs in on the Danish cartoons issue. “Could it really have been something as insolent and flippant as “testing the boundaries of free speech?” he says. “I just can’t comprehend that level of idleness. And I’m from the third world.”


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India: Education and the government · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The state of education in India and the current trends of the Government investing in Primary Education at The Indian Economy blog.


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India: Mumbai Calling · Global Voices
Kamla Bhatt

Mumbai, or Bombay, as some prefer to call, is the financial and entertainment capital of India. Here is a special post about Mumbai, a city that grows on you and if you stay long enough you will finally “get it,” on why Mumbaikars are so fiercely proud of their city. The city is famous for its “bindas” or “ubercool” attitude. “Chalta hai,” or anything goes is another common refrain that you will hear on the streets of this bustling city.
Australians appear to have some karmic connection with Mumbai, and are making news, specifically in the movie business.  Gregory David Roberts, author of the book,
“Shantaram,” spoke at the Kala Ghoda Art Festival in Mumbai earlier this week. Maya has a write-up about the event, but with some tongue-in-cheek remarks. The book is being made into a film starring Johnny Depp. Roberts escaped from an Australian prison and fled to Mumbai, India, where he lived for a few years and recreated a whole new identity and lifestyle for himself. But, eventually he got caught while visiting Germany, and spent time in prison. After he was freed from prison, Roberts wrote a gut-wrenching and gritty account of his life in Mumbai ,where he re-discovered himself and also re-discovered what love and warmth meant.
Roberts is a self-declared Indophile and a big fan of Bollywood films and music.  Edwin Lynch is an Australian film-maker and writer, who is currently visiting Mumbai to attend a film festival. He has an interesting account of his visit to a local “chai” tea shop.
Rock ‘N Roll was a hot topic button in Mumbai recently for two reasons: Bryan Adams concert and Hard Rock Cafe is finally coming to the city. Aranyi  talks about the Bryan Adams concert in Mumbai. And here is  Todd's , who is from Australia, account of the same concert.  Akshay  has a post about Hard Rock Cafe.
Alongside the new and vibrant Mumbai, there co-exists an old Bombay that reminds you of the time when it was the primary port of entry to India for those who came in search of their dreams to make it big in India. One of them was the Sasson family, a Baghdadi Jewish family who came to India in the late 19th century and rose to become a well-known business family in British India. Akshay has some nice pictures of Bombay's David Sasson library located in downtown Mumbai. Besides the library, the Sasson family also built a couple of synagogues that still exist today.


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Indonesia: The Curse of Plenty · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Once upon a Weblog reflects on Indonesia's tragic abundance: “The country practically has everything necessary to develop into a successful nation: copper, tin, gold, forests, minerals, and oil–the black gold. Its wealth, as well as the strategic location, is supposed to be a blessing for Indonesians. However, after 60 years spanning 6 presidents, the state of abundance has been more of a curse.”


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Iran: Revolution & Stupidity? · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

In Samimanetar, (Persian)  blogger says he heard several times from Tajzadeh, Islamic activist before revolution, political reformist & blogger, that we were not stupid to make revolution in 1970's, stupid are people who wants to go back to 1979  (The year when revolution happened).

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iraq: Riverbend Raided · Global Voices
Salam Adil

Riverbends neighborhood and home was raided by the police. She provides a detailed account of what happened: “One of them stood with the Klashnikov pointed at us, and the other one began opening cabinets and checking behind doors. We were silent. The only sounds came from my aunt, who was praying in a tremulous whisper and little B., who was sucking away at his thumb, eyes wide with fear.”


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Jamaica: Spanish Town Blues · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Charles Matheson reports to work at his office in the Jamaican district of Spanish Town, which erupted in violent protest on Wednesday in response to the killing of a gang leader. “The silence outside was broken by the crack of gunfire as we all scampered away from the front of the building, which is constructed  of mostly glass,” writes Matheson. “At around 9:00am we were told to close the office and head home, which we did.”


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Kenya: Anglo Leasing · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

You Missed This goes behind the scenes in Kenya and asks what role foreign powers had/have in Kenya? Did they play a part in exposing the Anglo-Leasing scandal?


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Kenya: Githongo scandal · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Ethan, My Hearts in Accra, has a roundup of the Kenyan reaction to the Githongo scandal.


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Kenya: Power of the vote · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

MentalAcrobatics reminds Kenyans of the 2002 “watershed” elections and the power that voters had “The power of the ballot was born. All of a sudden people realised, “Hey this kura of mine can change things.” We should remember just what a leap that was.”


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Malawi: mental colonisation and food  · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Afrika-aphukira discusses food as a measure of the level of  mental colonisation which can be seen by the different foods Malawians eat at home and what they eat outside.  “In our homes, we eat foods such as nsima, beans, mfutso, masamba otendera, nsomba, among many others, while in our hotels and restaurants we serve mostly rice, beef, chicken, spaghetti, and other foods mainly guided by Western tourist tastes”


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Malaysia: Junket Frustration · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Frus and Fuss in Malaysia criticizes the 14 municipal council members who went on a junket to South Africa: “Look here, don't play-play with my tax money!”


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Nepal: Power and its components · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Parmendra Bhagat on the forces that will determine Nepal's political currents – “Most political operatives working within democratic systems would agree that these three are the components of power: money, message, organization. These components are even truer for a complicated democratic movement like Nepal is.”


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Nepal: The elections and after · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Nepali Netbook on the outcomes of the recent elections and the sham – “8 municipal elections have allowed all three of the kingdom's principal protagonists to emerge as victors. “


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Nepal: Valentine and the country · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

A different sort of Valentine for this year. Love for the country at United We Blog!


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Nigeria: against evangelist intent · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Naijablog has a quote from a discussion between Wole Soyinka and Ulli Beier which he says “which should serve as a message to anyone primed with evangelist intent” ….Soyinka “The person who needs to convert others is a creature of total insecurity”


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Nigeria: Art & Literature · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Musings of a Naijaman points to the African regional Commonwealth Prize for Best First Book and other African literary and art links.


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Philippines: The Perils of Peddling Dreams · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Sheila Coronel of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism vents her frustration with how the powerful local television media has abdicated its responsibility for informing citizens and making democracy function in favor of peddling products.


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Russia’s War, Oligarchs and Arguable Foreign Policy Decisions · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Yuri Mamchur of Russia Blog writes on the recent clashes in a Southern Russian village, the inadequate coverage of Russia in the U.S. media, the West's support for the Russian ‘oligarchs’, Putin's decision to invite Hamas representatives to Moscow – and the possible reasons to be concerned and even outraged by all these.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Singapore: Race To the Top · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

On Ideoblog, a law professor thinks about countries such as Singapore competing for lucrative private banking business by relaxing their laws: “The main point is, to what extent does this represent a “race to the bottom” in which tiny “Delawares” like Singapore erode big countries’ ability to impose efficient taxes and regulations?”


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Somaliland: 2006 budget · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Voice of Somaliland Diaspora – Ottawa  assesses the annual budget speech by the Minister Of Finance To Parliament


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Taiwan Strikes Back, With Pixels · Global Voices
Tian Yi

Tim Maddog on Indiac rebukes China's claims of being “peaceful” in a recent white paper, by citing Taiwan's white paper on China's rise and adding his own commentary.


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“The First Circle” and “East-West” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Charlie Ganske of Russia Blog writes about the TV adaptation of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's novel “The First Circle” that's currently being shown on Russian TV. He sees it as a “positive development.” Charles also reviews a 1999 Russian-French-Bulgarian movie “East-West,” and promises that the “The Ninth Platoon” review will be next


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Togo: Government talks with opposition. · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Yebo Gogo reports that the Government of Togo has agreed to talks with the country's opposition  He suspects that this mainly to encourage European aid to flow into the country.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Janet Jackson not a Soca Warrior · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

The Trinidad & Tobago World Cup Blog links to a newspaper article stating that Janet Jackson has cancelled her appearance at a Carnival party organized to raise funds for the Soca Warriors, Trinidad & Tobago's national football team, who will be participating in the World Cup this year in Germany. The T&T World Cup Blog speculates that Jackson could be replaced by Colombian pop diva Shakira.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Rapso as inspiration · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Writing about a concert by the Trinidadian rapso group 3canal, Nicholas Laughlin seizes the opportunity to rant about the current political situation.


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Vietnam: Safety Precaution · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Down and Out in Sài Gòn realizes that it was a very good idea to buy a helmet for driving or riding a motorbike in Vietnam: “People here may be driving slower than in western countries; 20-30 km/h is the norm in the cities. But it's the fall that makes the difference.”


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Which Is Better – A Boy or A Girl? · Global Voices
Tian Yi

The news of Japan's Princess Kiko being pregnant makes the writer of The Asia Pages a little nervous.  If she will have a son, “what will happen to all the progress Japan has made in regards to warming up to the idea of having a female empress“?


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Who Is “Better”? · Global Voices
Tian Yi

John at Sinosplice is not sure how to best explain to his Chinese students in English “the difference between ‘value to society’ and ‘inherent human worth’“.  Readers debate whether this is a linguistic or cultural problem.


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Zimbabwe: urban nightmares · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Zimbabwean Pundit reminds us that for Zimbabwe's displaced urban dwellers, life has not changed …..”Large portions of Zimbabwe's urban dwellers continue to live undocumented lives outside of the meagre infrustructural support offered by the failing government.”


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Bloglogue: Iran in the Media · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Bloglogue  project finally was launched on webgardian blog with the following questions:
Do you think the news that we get about Iran or sensitive issues are biased? Why? And how can bloggers or non bloggers as individuals  communicate non biased news? Dream or reality?
Six contributors, four bloggers and two non bloggers, shared their ideas in Bloglogue.
For all contributors,  news about Iran, Middle East  and probably whole world can be biased. Monopoly of media companies and our stand point, glasses through which we look at the world, are two major elements which make news biased. Of course each person has its own reasoning and point of view on this subject even though there is a  common ground for most of their arguments.
1-Monopolized Media & Biased News
Dr.Majid Tehranian, a non blogger who is a US based Professor of Communication with hundred articles in his name, says  monopoly of news companies by 9 major Anglo Saxon corporations, make us to look at news through Anglo Saxon eyes. He says:
“That is the nature of human understanding. We all look at the world from a particular standpoint. But since most of our knowledge of the world today is through the media, media bias is a critical issue. Most of the media in the world today are owned by nine major transnational media corporations. Since most of these corporations are Anglo-American, medias bias also is Anglo-American”.
Christian Alexander a US based blogger shares more or less same idea with Dr.Tehranian. In blogger's words:
However, the monopolization of media sources and the increasingly corporate nature of reporting have begun to hinder objectivity. Large media companies may not have an explicit ideological purpose, but the narrowing of diversity of competition coupled with the increasing need to make a profit off of a highly segmented market creates an environment where biased assessments are inevitable.
Blogs in his eyes can act as a positive counterpoint to mainstream news media, discussing, interpreting and redirecting their stories. Because they lack the structure of mainstream media.
Curt Hopkins, a US blogger and journalist, in the same direction writes:
“They are more concerned with maximizing profits through cutting expenses and achieving the greatest possible readership for their corporate owners than with promoting some politically expedient view of Iran as that place on the map that says here are monsters”.
For Curt, blogs and books are alternative important sources to get informed beyond traditional biased media.
Lars   a blogger from Norway says:
“The perspective is mostly that of the West as an actor, rather than that of the actors in the Middle East. This does not by default lead to a bias, but it leads to a lack of serious information, as the different perspectives are often omitted.Blogging, and in general independent media, has been a valuable source for information”.
For this blogger who follows Middle East, you can not seriously cover Iran or Syria without checking Iranian or Syrian blogs.
2-Interpretation Matters
By reading Shahram Kholdi's , a UK based blogger & academic in university of Manchester, piece, I can say, for this blogger, both media & blogs can be  biased but you see what you want. According to him:
“Comparative perspectives can be even more useful in helping us to understand the position of one side, Iran, against the other side, the US. When the United States of America with all different mechanisms of Foreign Policy, from the Congress to the White House, remains elusive in terms of the predictability of its next move against Iran, it should come as no surprise that the poly-centric power apparatus of the Islamic Republic is far more difficult to predict under such circumstances. Often, one reads too much or too little in the public statements that come from Iran. I have so far observed similar approaches by both anti-war and pro-war bloggers and reporters“.
Dr. Djamshid Asadi, Paris based non blogger Economics Professor, writes:
“Because of a relatively free competition in the democratic countries,(news) cannot be exuberantly biased. Still, receivers of news do not understand necessarily the meaning of the reported events. They consume news, but they do not automatically comprehend. Bloggers can share interpretations and cross them with more people. Hence, they might integrate more sophisticated points of view“.
In conclusion, I should say that the contributors who think news senders ( monopolised media companies) create biased news, consider a vital role for blogs as an independent source(s) in the communication world. Contributors, who see problem depends on readers or news receivers, think about blogs a voice among other media voices. More voices will enlarge our view on world.


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From the Jordanian Blogosphere · Global Voices
Roba Al Assi

The Jordanian blogosphere has a lot to say on the Jordanian constitution this week. Naseem Tarawneh writes about the 200 temporary laws and the Jordanian Constitution created between 1999 and 2005. Lina Ejeilat meanwhile is angry at the situation regarding the arrest of Chief Editors of the two weekly tabloids, Shihan and Al-Mihwar for re-publishing the cartoons, “So basically while the Jordanian Press Association stands up against government intervention or punishment of journalists for something they publish, it retains this right for itself!” Natasha Tynes is also angry at the constitution that does not allow a Jordanian women to pass on her citizenship to her children, “Even a residence permit for children with foreign fathers is not given automatically or free of charge. Naseem Tarawneh thus writes, “Jordan needs to have free elections now to rid itself of some incompetent MP's.”
Khalaf has a post regarding the Jordanian budget debate, as well as one on the effects on Jordan of Hamas winning the Palestinian legislative elections. Jameed reports that leading Jordanian journalists are hoping to help improve reporting on HIV/AIDS, having taken part in a workshop focusing on curtailing popular misperceptions, saying that this is great news.
On a more technological front, Ahmad Humeid of 360 East marvels over the effects of various technologies that are competing for one's driving time- including podcasting and Yazan Malakha writes a review of Internet Explorer 7. Jad Madi complains about the fact that some online companies blacklist the Middle Eastern transactions.
As for the infamous cartoon debate, it's still pretty hot in the Jordanian blogosphere, with more various opinions. Roba Assi is angry at the reaction of the Islamic world,  Haitham Sabbah shares two articles on the cartoons, saying “What a crazy world we live in”. Hareega is also bewildered by the reactions.

author: Roba Al Assi


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Iran: A Deadly Mistake · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

FMSokhan ( Persian), Iran based blogger and journalist, writes life of Mrs. Afroutan, Tamadon Hormozgan journalist, is in danger in prison. She and several other journalists were arrested when they published, by mistake, an article in scientific section of journal about” How Aids Came to Iran”. Article had been taken from internet without being read by Afroutan and her colleagues. Piece was saying Ayathollah Khomeini brought Aids to Iran! It is possible journalist gets executed for publishing it.


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Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyz Government Sniping · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Registan.net discusses a war of words in Kyrgyzstan's government.


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Lesser of Two Evils · Global Voices
Tian Yi

ESWN discusses which is the lesser of two evils in terms of blog censorship:  MSN Spaces which follows the orders of the Chinese government, or China's own BSPs?


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Selections from the Caribbean blogosphere · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

This week the Caribbean saw presidential elections taking place in Haiti, violence erupting in Spanish Town, Jamaica, and Hosay observances in Trinidad. Here's the blogosphere's take on these events:
Haiti: Presidential Elections
February 7th’s presidential election in Haiti seemed at first to belong to René Préval. The New York Times reported on Thursday that the former president had received 61% of what appeared to be a representative sample of ballots. As the week drew to a close, however, Préval’s lead “shrank dramatically,” making the possibility of a runoff in March more of a reality. Charlito News, a blog maintained, one would assume, by supporters of candidate Charles Henry “Charlito” Baker (who is in third place behind Leslie Manigat), posted nine news updates on Saturday, including one comprising “The Key Provisions of the Electoral Decrees of 2005” (FR), presumably to support allegations of fraud made by Baker.  The last of Saturday's posts reported that Préval supporters had stormed the presidential palace, “livid results of [the] election their candidate is said to have won have not be finalized”. The post went on to say that:
With 72 percent of votes counted, the latest official results showed frontrunner René Préval, a former president and champion of the poor, slipping to 49.6 percent. He would need 50 percent plus one additional vote to avoid a runoff.
But international electoral observers told Newsday that an analysis of the vote showed Préval had won about 54.5 percent, enough to win on the first round. The sample of 12 percent of votes was conducted by a Haitian electoral observation group and monitored by the National Democratic Institute, an arm of the U.S. State Department, the sources said.
Jamaica: Unrest in Spanish Town
The volatile community of Spanish Town, 13 miles outside of Jamaica's capital city of Kingston, erupted in violence on Wednesday in reaction to the shooting of Andrew Hope, the “reputed leader” of the One Order gang. CoolDestiny reported that she happened to leave work early on Wednesday and learned about the unrest en route:
I smartly decided to drive on the toll road instead of the Spanish Town bypass to avoid all the chaos that I knew would be happening. Yesterday, however, the toll road was not spared from the display of violence as the road was blocked at the stoplight causing a major pile up of traffic to exit the toll road. Strange-looking men lurking in the bushes … and not a police man, car, bike, bicycle patrol … NONE. In the distance, we could see huge clouds of black smoke rising in the sky, confirming the protest taking place on the by-pass and in the town.. . .  I'm so sick and tired of this s*** happening every time a “don” is killed.
Charles Matheson was one of only six people to report to work at his office in Spanish Town on Thursday. “One of my co-workers called to say that she would not be reporting to work,” wrote Matheson, “as she had been turned back blocked by gunmen who told her to go back home.” The staff at Matheson's office was sent home at 9am after gunfire was heard in the vicinity.
Trinidad & Tobago: Hosay
Trinidad & Tobago's Carnival season is heating up in the lead-up to the official start of the two-day festival on February 27th, but stay tuned for an overview of blogosphere's response to Carnival closer to that date. In the midst of the Carnival frenzy this week, however, Trinidad's Shi'ite Muslim community observed Hosay (also known as the festival of Muharram or Ashurah), which Liz Ali reminded us “is NOT an Islamic festival. The practice began as a Shi'a mourning ritual then morphed into this bacchanal. Muslims commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hosein with prayers ………not party.”
To Nicholas Laughlin's “creole eyes”, however, Hosay looked festive. Laughlin was on spot on Friday afternoon in the community of St. James, center of the Hosay activities, wondering at “the impossibility that Hosay and Carnival can have co-existed in Port of Spain for a century and a half without some kind of cross-pollination,” and posted a detailed and vivid description of the events.
The Bookmann also contemplated the cross-pollination issue. “Where in any Country would one observe a religious rite side by side with a pub blaring Soca music from large fete speakers, and couples grinding on the curb with bottles of alcohol loosely held by its neck swinging in tempo?” he asked. Both Nicholas and The Bookmann also posted photos.


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What Salvadoran Bloggers are Saying · Global Voices
Tim Muth

This is the first in a new series of biweekly articles looking at what bloggers are saying from El Salvador and about El Salvador. Every two weeks I'll take a look at what you can find in the Salvadoran “blogosphere.”
The universe of Salvadoran blogs is fairly young.  One of the best established blogs based in El Salvador is Hunnapuh which just enjoyed its one year anniversary. The Soy Salvadoreno blog celebrates the one year anniversary of Hunnapuh as part of its own ongoing review of the Salvadoran blogosphere.  Recently Hunnapuh has had a three part series questioning the safety of school transportation in El Salvador in which private, unregulated micro-buses take children to and from school.
Crime, violence and the National Police (PNC) are an ongoing topic for Salvadoran bloggers.  There is a new head of the National Police, who has a very high approval rating as Salvadorans hope he can control crime, but Salvadoran bloggers are not so sure.  Salvador Canjura at Tierra de Collares wrties about a police operation in a neighborhood plagued by gangs. The reports of the police operation from the citizens in the community and from the police are markedly different. Hunnapuh points out that a new plan to reassign police to areas with highest crime risks will simply leave other areas in dangers.
El Salvador is in a political season leading up to elections on March 12, with the major parties in a virtual tie in the race for seats in the National Assembly and mayoral seats.  Blogger Rebeca complains that mass media is filled with favorable news stories about president Tony Saca, while the country is in a wave of violence.  She also points to ARENA efforts to use fear of the ex-guerilla FMLN party as a campaign weapon.  ARENA emphasizes the very popular Tony Saca in its ads while the FMLN is using the image of its recently deceased historic leader Schafik Handal.
The rhetoric of the governing party has led to political satire including this quote on the El Salvador o algo por el estilo blog:
The debt that I am leaving the country isn't external debt, it's eternal debt, signed Tony [Saca, president of El Salvador]
Former Peace Corps volunteer Marie reflected on differences in ordinary life between Chicago and El Salvador. For example, she notes that it is nice not to have to check your bags at the security desk as you go into every store, or to have to remember to avoid placing toilet paper in the bowl. Soy Salvadoreno picked up Marie's comments and noted it takes the perspective of an outsider to help point out that some things which are undesirable or unhygienic have come to be so commonly accepted in El Salvador.

author: Tim Muth


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African Bloggers Respond to the Rise of China in Africa · Global Voices
Zimpundit

There's no doubt about it China has emerged as the newest economic force fast embroiled in the global race for markets and raw materials.  No where is this more apparent than in Africa where the Chinese are converging on the continent intent on reaping economic benefits of all sorts from the continent's vast resources and vastly potential markets.  This new phenomenon carries many wideranging implications for Africa some of which could be ominous.
Africa's bloggers, wary of the consequences and the experiences of the continent's last colonization, that by the western world through the late 20th century,  are keeping a watchful eye on China's new proliferation on their continent.  Emeka Okafor writing on Africa Unchained notes that the Chinese have had an interest in African affairs for a long time, “In fact, as early as 1963 Julius Nyerere of Tanzania
complained of a new scramble for Africa between the Soviet Union and China.”
In Africa's New Friend, Blacklooks puts it this way;
China is in desperate need of oil as the number of private owned vehicles increasess from 56% in 2002 to 75%  in 2003.  Presently growth is between 10 and 15%.  As part of its drive for new sources of oil,  PetroChina International and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) have recently signed an agreement in which NNPC will sell 30,000 barrels of oil per day.  (Nigeria's oil production is presently estimated at some 75 million bpd).
China is not stopping its commerical relationship with Nigeria there. According to the China View Online, China has also submitted bids for two oil blocks starting in August and is considering building a Hydro-station and has expressed an interest in taking over the Kaduna oil refinery if it is privatised.
Nigeria is not the only African country courted by China.  China is actively involved in Sudanese oil where it has a number of concessions.  60% of Sudan's oil is exported to China and China is involved in all aspects of oil exploration and production.
And in April of last year Chippla  writing about the start of African-Asian Summit commented on the nature of current Chinese interests in Africa thus,
“China's main interest in Africa is raw materials. Driven by the need to satisfy its humongous population with the trappings of a modern life, China seems to be stretching out its tentacles all across the globe grabbing markets.”
Chippla concludes the entry with this warning to continent's leaders about how they should be responding to the opportunities presented by China's interest in the continent,
“In my opinion, African governments need to concentrate on two facets of society education, primarily science education, and healthcare. An uneducated populace simply cannot fit into the sphere of today's world. With a highly educated workforce, such governments will eventually see growth. There is more to economic development than foreign investments.”
Last July Emeka Okafor pointed to this lucid description of the economic exchange going on between Africa and China
Why all the interest in the forgotten continent? A goodie bag of exploitable markets and exploitable resources. China has flooded Africa with cheap textiles, rice, and electronics…Africa, in turn, is feeding the insatiable Asian thirst for energy.
It's not that Africa is unwillingly being exploited and pillaged.  To the contrary, some of the continent's leaders are actively turning to China in response to the West standing firmly behind it's decision not to prop up the continent's corrupt despots.  In The Little Red Email it is sattirically put this way,
What do you do when you are an internationally reviled administration in search of cash, and armed with plenty of raw materials? Why, head to China of course for a warm embrace with the Chinese Communist Party. Whereas the G8 gives financial aid to African states on the condition of improvements in human rights (and easy multinational access to domestic markets), the CCP offers its support to dictators without moral stipulations.
According to Zimpundit Robert Mugabe Zimbabwe's isolated leader has been telling his economically distraught nation, “Go east young nation, go east.”  Mugabe is apparently ordering large portions of the “Asian invasion” as tonic for Zimbabwe's anaemic economy.  Zimpundit cautions
While good for the ailing economy, the Asia inertia impacts the Zimbabwean crisis in a unique way, and deserves delicate and diligent evaluation of it's function in the advance of democracy here and the excaberation of the global “east-west rift.”
But not all Africans are jubilantly hopping and skipping their way to the bank rejoicing over the emergence of “the beast from the east.”  Zimbabwean blog This is Zimbabwe posted a circular on a protest vigil by exiled Zimbabweans at the Chinese embassy in the UK in an attempt to stop China from aiding Zimbabwe's malicious leaders.
Little doubt remains over this fact: the Chinese are in Africa and are going leave their marks there.

author: Zimpundit