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Central & Eastern Europe: Thoughts on Geopolitics and Identity · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Greek-Macedonian name dispute inspires Amman-based Reflect Upon… to reflect on identity, geography and geopolitics.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Costa Rica: Cow Parade and internet video · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The Cow Parade calls itself the world´s largest public art event, and for tiny Costa Rica´s standards, it certainly is a huge deal that the capital city of San José was selected to host the legion of cows.  On AmeliaRueda.com[es] , a series of online videos have been reporting to the website audiences and through YouTube about the comings and goings of the 120 cows and the local artists in charge of decorating them for the event.
The series of online videos dedicated to showing the process behind the cow´s arrival in the city isn't the only product that AmeliaRueda.com has released exclusively for web distribution: ever since they began this task of creating web content two months ago, more than  14 videos have been uploaded and liberated through a Creative Commons license. Amelia Rueda, the website's namesake and blogger, is one of the most influential journalists in Costa Rica, and according to Cristian Cambronero[es], who has created and uploaded the online videos, this is one more step towards the networked journalism that Amelia Rueda has been promoting throughout her career,  a space where users provide videos, material and are a vital part in creating news that matters to them.
Journalist and blogger Cristian Cambronero, from Fusil de Chispas, told me a bit more about the journalism work done on AmeliaRueda.com.  In Costa Rica, up to a short time ago, no one was producing any type of original video journalism content for the web and that´s the gap they intend to fill by creating brief, single topic videos with an agile visual language and risky editing, instead of adapting or just uploading content made for television. The videos have been uploaded on YouTube, and on the website. There are no intentions to launch a media campaign to bring people to the website, so far they are in the initial stages of having people stumble on the site and recommend them or link to the videos: not different at all from the John Doe who begins to blog and starts slowly gathering a readership.
The videos are shot with digital handycams which most people have lying around to record family events, and are edited on home computers using video editing software and image editing software for some of the captions or tags. The low resolution videos are friendly for low-speed connections common in Costa Rica, and it all serves to bring the message home: any one of the viewers might as well pick up their cameras and make some citizen journalism videos themselves.  As a final question, I asked Cristian about the taping process on the streets, and people´s reactions to knowing they would be recorded for a video that wouldn´t be released on TV, but on internet:
¿Alguna anécdota sobre el proceso de grabación? ¿Cómo toma la gente que los grabes para algo que no va a salir en tele, sino en internet? Es quizá lo más interesante. Las cámaras y los equipos que utiliza la televisión son invasivos por naturaleza, y sobre esto han escrito un sinfín de teóricos de la comunicación. La televisión altera la escena de un hecho o suceso, con la sóla presencia de sus cámaras aparatosas, micrófonos llamativos y por supuesto una figura conocida, o pública, que es el reportero. Todos lo hemos notado: cuando aparece una cámara de televisión la escena literalmente se congela, y deja de ser natural. Nuestras cámaras pequeñas y nosotros mismos pasamos desapercibidos, somos un espectador más. La gente no se intimida ni asume poses. No se altera el entorno de ninguna forma. Los equipos pequeños son menos intimidades, y también buscamos la naturalidad. Queremos entrevistas en forma de conversaciones y no de ruedas de prensa. Es otro lenguaje.
That is perhaps the most interesting part. The cameras and the equipment that television uses are invasive by nature, and about this an endless number of experts in communication have written. Television alters the scene where something happened, the sole presence of the clunky cameras, eyecatching microphones and of course a known and popular figure in the shape of a tv reporter. We've all seen it: when a TV camera appears the scene literally freezes, and stops being natural. Our small cameras and well, ourselves pass unnoticed, we are one spectator more. People aren´t intimidated and don't strike poses. The surroundings aren't altered in the least. Small equipment is less intimidating, and we also seek for naturality. We want interviews that sound like conversation and not press releases. It´s another language.
Following, you can view the fourth Cow Parade related video, where artists repair the damage done to the sculptures by careless citizens and vandals. It has been subtitled in English, and hopefully, soon all the videos at Amelia Rueda.com will be as well.
You can view the other 3 Cow Parade videos by following this link [es] .

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Crackdown on Algeria’s Christian Community  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Algeria's local Christian minority is facing a new crackdown from the government, reports …Or Does it Explode?

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Cuba: Checking In?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Yes, boys and girls, your ordinary citizen can now ante up to the check-in at any hotel establishment on the island of Cuba, as long as he or she has the money to pay in hard currency. Ah, there's the rub,” writes Ninety miles away….in another country, while The Cuban Triangle says: “If ‘tourism apartheid’ has been a perennial (and legitimate) element of the human rights indictment against the Cuban government, its elimination has to be counted as progress.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Egypt: Hundreds Arrested Ahead of Elections  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The Angry Arab News Service links to a Human Rights Watch report which says that Egypt has arrested hundreds of opposition Islamists, including would-be candidates in local council elections due on April 8, amount to a “shameless bid” to fix the vote.


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Environment: Wind power in China. · Global Voices
Juliana Rotich

The green brothers on China's Green Beat Blog 中国绿色脉搏 post a video showing their visit to a Beijing Wind farm, and discussing the role of the UN's clean development mechanism on China's wind power development.

author: Juliana Rotich


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Hong Kong: Remembering Leslie Cheung and Danny Chan · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Hegelchong posted two youtube videos for remembering two great pop song singers, Leslie Cheung and Danny Chan, in Hong Kong [zh].

author: Oiwan Lam


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Hong Kong: Security Guarded City · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A famous artist, Pang Jun, was driven away by security guards when he was sketching on the street in downtown Central. Duimanpark criticized the property management guideline that forces the security guard to act unreasonably [zh].


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Hungary: Coalition Crisis · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eva Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum reports on the coalition crisis brewing in the Hungarian government after prime minister announced his decision to dismiss the health minister.


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Hungary: Fidesz Party is 20 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eva Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum writes about the 20th anniversary of Fidesz, Hungary's largest opposition party.


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Hungary: Political Crisis and Economy · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungary Economy Watch writes about the current political crisis in Hungary: “What is very clear, however, is that the economic backdrop to all this is simply not going to go away, whatever decisions are eventually taken on the political front. […] And since it is the economic backdrop which is producing all the political instability, then it is not unreasonable to imagine that the political instability will also continue.”


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India: Shashi Tharoor’s India · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Excursions into the mundane and the revealing… on Shashi Tharoor's refrain on India.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Indonesia: Lack of good political books? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Indonesian blogger Tephy is frustrated over the “lack of good, even decent Indonesian political book.” She said “There’s a pretty good stack of good Indonesian political books, but just by reading the title I feel like I’m being dragged to a land of Snoozeville. I’m looking for a book that is not too patronizing, and especially, easy to understand.”

author: Mong Palatino


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Indonesia threatens to block YouTube over “Fitna” the movie · Global Voices
sami ben gharbia

Indonesia is threatening to block Youtube unless the video-sharing web site removes the 15 minutes anti-Muslim film “Fitna” made by the Dutch MP Geert Wilders, the leader of the anti-immigration Freedom Party (PVV).

author: sami ben gharbia


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Iraq: Debunking Muqtada Al Sadr · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Iraq, Layla Anwar comments on Muqtada Al Sadr's latest interview with Al Jazeera.


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Jamaica: Racial Stereotypes · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Ragashanti, a popular talk show host, invited listeners to weigh in on the topic of Indians in Jamaica – and the barrage of racist slurs by callers has caused an outcry.  Blogger Annie Paul‘s take on all this is “that in the haste to censor if not prosecute Raga…the important work of combating the stereotypes Indo-Jamaicans are faced with has fallen by the wayside.”


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Jamaica: Reviewing Goodison · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Geoffrey Philp features an excerpt from The New York Times review of Jamaican poet Lorna Goodison's most recent book.


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Japan: the Japanese School Uniform · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

PingMag has a feature article on the Japanese School Uniform fashion.


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Japan: the Kobe City Museum · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ad Blankestijn from Japan Navigator introduced the Kobe City Museum to his readers. The museum is devoted to “International Cultural Exchange” and “Contact Between and Changes in Eastern and Western Cultures”


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Japan: The Rising Price of Food · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

It may seem like a cruel April Fool's joke, but it isn't: after dozens of years without change, the prices of many staple foods in Japan are set to rise steeply this month [ja], following a trend that began with the price of bread, constant for 24 years [ja] but already up more than 10% [ja] over the past year. The coming changes have spurred fears of a major shake-up in the industry, motivating renewed efforts at increasing the country's record low self-sufficiency rate and convincing some to return to traditional Japanese foods [ja].
April 1st, the start of the new fiscal year in Japan, marks the day when a number of changes come into effect. Unchanged for 30 years, the price of milk will see an increase, as will the price of many other food commodities, including beer, shoyu (soy sauce) and cooking oil [ja], not to mention more luxurious items like ice cream [ja]. With changes also in Japan's health care system and (at least momentarily) the end of the country's provisional gasoline tax, there is no lack of uncertainty regarding the upcoming transition in the economy. A recent survey nonetheless showed that while Japanese feel that a hike in food prices will cause great problems, if the hike is for the sake of food safety, then they consider it “unavoidable”.
Blogger Kagemusha (影武者) describes the basic situation:
さて、本日で暫定税率が失効となり明日からガソリンが値下がりする動きとなるようですが、一方で原油の高値や異常気象などの影響から「４月から食品の値上げラッシュが勢いを増す」ようです。身近なものでは小麦を原料としたビールやパン、そして“物価の優等生”と言われた牛乳も飼料価格の高騰を背景に４月から値上げを実施する旨が各メディアで報じられています。
食料品の高騰はバイオマス燃料の原料となるトウキビなどの過剰使用による不足、サブプライム問題により多くの投資が大豆や小麦関連に向けられた事なども原因となっているようですがいずれにしましても一般家庭においては特に厳しい状況になっていく事は確かです。
The coincidence of the timing of the price hike did not go unnoticed, as blogger YUtoKEI points out:
いよいよ恐怖の４月が到来！？「エイプリルフールです！」で有ってほしいのですが、福田総理が”ごめんなさい”では済まされない。国民も生活防衛策を真剣に考えないといけない時代がやってきました。
While some bloggers have suggested the solution to the food crisis in Japan is to grow one's own food, many others have taken the move of stocking up early [ja], a plan that blogger hanamaru2224 considers:
明日から牛乳や醤油、小麦製品そしてなによりビールが値上げらしいけど買い溜めする？
牛乳の買い溜めってできないし(^^;)
In a post entitled “March 31st, change”, blogger psw_fragile reflects on all the transitions in Japan, including a change in the font size of newspapers to accommodate an aging population and the yearly April rush of new graduates into the work force:
今日は３月３１日。
明日から４月、新年度に変わります。
平成２０年のこの新年度には、これまでになく「変化」というものが感じられる年になりそうです。
原油価格の高騰から、食品が一斉に値上げされます。
ガソリンも急激に値上がり。
そして、今日から新聞の文字の大きさも変わり、新入社員が増え、車では若葉マークが増える・・・。
Blogger DeepSky, meanwhile, delves deeper into the unique challenge facing Japanese:
日本の食糧自給率は世界的に見ても先進国中で最下位。
オーストラリア２３７％、カナダ１４５％、アメリカ１２８％、フランス１２２％、ドイツ８４％、イギリス７０％、イタリア６２％、スイス４９％、韓国４７％、日本３９％。
穀物では自給率がほぼ１００％のコメ（と言っても、こちらも崩壊寸前らしい）を除き、大半を輸入に頼っています。
中でもトウモロコシは、９６％をある国から輸入しているのですが、どこでしょう？
そう、バイオエタノールブームに湧く米国です。
トウモロコシに作付けを切り替える農家が急増して、大豆や小麦の生産が減少。
更に北京オリンピックバブル（笑）で経済成長著しい中国での需要拡大、オーストラリアの大干ばつによる小麦の生産減などの影響が加わり、トウモロコシと大豆の相場価格はここ３年で約２．５倍、小麦は約３倍に急騰。
穀物価格の高騰と調達難が、自給率の低い日本の食に襲いかかってきているわけです。
Blogger yuujii_1946 spells out what needs to happen in order to confront this situation:
39％の日本の自給率を高めるには、日本の農業や漁業の改革・踏ん張りに期待せねばならないのですが、消費者の理解も必要です。安心して食べられる食品への意識の変遷と、価格の高騰はその追い風となります。
Blogger plasticpaper263, in contrast, points the finger at a different group:
瞬時に世界を駆け巡り、より利潤上がる商品に向かって金持ちの投機マネ−が一斉に損失を最小限にするために｢サブプライムを含んだ債券証券」を如何に売り抜けるか。そして投機は原油や金、食料になる小麦などに向かって集中し、小麦とその関連食品やガソリン、灯油の値上げがりとなつて庶民の生活に甚大な被害を与えだしたのだ。
Finally, blogger  jf3mwqinasaku sums up the situation this way:
もはや　お金さえあれば　海外から食料を調達できる時代は過去のものとなりつ
つもあります
利便性だけでムダの多い日本の食糧事情　その大半を安い海外の原材料と労働力
にたより捨てる部分の多い不効率さ
経済の原則も大事だけど　それも考え直さないと行けない時期にきているのかも
しれません。
The age in which we were able to get our food from overseas just by having money will soon be a thing of the past.
Japan's food situation, just convenience, and lots of waste.
The inefficiency of having to rely on cheap ingredients and labor from overseas, and of throwing away so much.
Economic principles are important, but the time has come that we need to reevaluate them.

author: Chris Salzberg


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Japan: Was it lucky? · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Akky at Asiajin reports on an interesting case of “lost in translation”. Chicago Cubs fans at a Major League opening game in Chicago, where Japanese baseball player Kosuke Fukudome made an impressive debut for the team, were seen waving signs with the Japanese words “偶然だぞ” (Guzen da zo), roughly translated to “It was lucky” (or “It was accidental.”). After some investigation, the likely culprit for the unintended put-down was found in an unusual place: Google Translate.


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Jordan: Congrats Wikipedia  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Jordan, Roba Al Assi congratulates Wikipedia on its 10 millionth article and says: “The truth is, Wikipedia changed my life. Here’s to another 10 million articles.”


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Jordan: Highest Internet Prices After Morocco · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“The Jordan Times is reporting that Jordan’s Internet prices are among the highest in the region due to the imposed 16 percent sales tax. In fact, Jordan ranks second only to Morocco, which applies a 20 percent sales tax on Internet,” writes An American in Jordan.


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Jordan: Royal Debut on YouTube  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Queen Rania of Jordan joins the ranks of YouTubers, much to to delight of Jordanian bloggers and vloggers around the Middle East. In a bid to break the stereotype, and engage in an international conversation, the video surfaced on YouTube yesterday with the following message:
Queen Rania is launching her presence on YouTube with this exclusive video.
Watch the clip to hear her message to YouTubers everywhere, and then join in the conversation.
The message begins with:
In a world where it is so easy to connect with one another, we still remain disconnected. There is a whole world of wonder out there that we cannot appreciate with stereotypes. So it is important for all of us to join forces, come together and try to bring down those misconceptions. And I have been surprised by some of the questions I have been asked about the Arab world and the Middle East. Do all Arabs hate Americans? Can Arab women work? Are there any YouTubers in Jordan?
According to Queen Rania's personal page:
Queen Rania has launched an official YouTube page, with an exclusive message on the importance of cross-cultural dialogue in breaking down stereotypes.You can visit Her Majesty's page at http://youtube.com/QueenRania.
In the video, Queen Rania extends an invitation to vloggers to send her some of the misconceptions about the Arab world and says:
From now until August the 12th, which is International Youth Day, I hope to be receiving from YouTubers some of the questions that they have and some of the common stereotypes that they hear about the Arab world and I will try to break them down one by one and address them. I will also be encouraging YouTubers to help me out and address some of these stereotypes so I will be relying on your skills and creativity so that we can all get this right.
Naseem Tarawnah is excited about the royal vlogger and writes:
It seems like a long time ago that I once wondered if HM Queen Rania was a blogger. It seems lately, she’s gone a step forward and become a Vlogger
He further adds:
I think it’s a pretty good initiative (me wishing I had thought of it first), and it’s one of those Web 2.0 projects that I don’t think has ever been done on this scale and in this context. In any case, the comments will be even more interesting to read, be they positive, negative or insulting. Thus is the free and wacky world we call the Internet. However, it will also be interesting how the responses take shape. Remember, this is about Arab stereotypes, and Arabs differ in culture, politics, economics and even religious standards; having the Queen of Jordan address these questions with a broad brush may be tricky. Another tricky territory will be maneuvering through the religious questions being posed, a territory I firmly believe the Queen should not be entering due to past misunderstandings.
I wonder however if this will be a one-time thing or if it we’ll be seeing more of the Queen’s video blogging on YouTube. I also wonder if HM King Abdullah will also follow in these footsteps, even though I think that particularly would be a pretty bad idea for all the obvious reasons.
Khobbeizah, who also links to the video, leaves a simple message. He says:
Queen Rania is launching her presence on YouTube with this exclusive video. Let's participate!
Fellow Jordanian Hani Obaid comments on the post saying:
To tell you the truth, I thought this was some kind of joke like the Facebook accounts created for the royal family, but then I watched the video, and I was pleasantly surprised. This is wonderful.
So far the page has garnered 72 comments and counting.


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Jordan: There’s More to the Arab Blogosphere · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“I came across an article that discusses blogging in the Arab world. It is conveniently titled ‘Blogging in the Arab World’ and yet it only discusses the Egyptian blogosphere as if it is the only active, significant, prominent blogging scene in the region. Hello? The Arab world is made up of 21 other countries,” writes Tololy from Jordan.


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Kazakhstan: No Commitments · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Adam Kesher draws attention to one passage from the Kazakhstan president’s most recent interview to Reuters, in which he outlines the government’s attitude towards OSCE standards and commitments.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Korea and Japan: Korea’s Role in WWII · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ampontan referred to a Korean newspapers article titled Were Koreans Oppressors in the War, or its Victims?  and carried on the discussion about politics and history writing.


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Lao PDR: NGOs are known as non-profit associations · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Blogger Edicio dela Torre explains why “In Lao PDR, NGO refers to international NGOs.” He adds: “If you apply the name NGO to a Laotian organization, it is interpreted as an anti-government organization.” Local NGOs are known as “non-profit associations.”


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Malaysia: Hell Bank Note policy · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Malaysian blogger Meshio is “totally against the ‘Hell Bank Note’ policy practiced worldwide, not just by Buddhist, but also by any other organizations which endorse the believe that by burning something material in this dimension, it would henceforth be received by another party in another dimension, commonly known as after-life, underworld or hell. To me, this concept is as absurd as time-travel itself.”


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Montenegro: Podgorica · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Csíkszereda Musings writes about Montenegro's capital Podgorica: “Podgorica used to be called Titograd, which is a marvelously evocative name, redolent of tractor factories, concrete apartment buildings and smog. So while I kind of regret that it's not still called Titograd, it doesn't really look like a Titograd.”


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New Zealand: Low Consumer Confidence · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Kiwiblog is concerned about the ten year low in consumer confidence in New Zealand.

author: Preetam Rai


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Nicaragua: Access to the Internet · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Nicaragua has the lowest rates of access to the internet in all of Central America writes Economía y Más [es].  Approximately 3 out of every 100 Nicaraguans uses the internet.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Oman: In Love with Windows Vista  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Oman, Blue Chi has just started using Windows Vista – and is loving it.


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Pakistan: A new cabinet · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Changing Up Pakistan on a new cabinet being sworn in.


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Pakistan: April Fool at Metroblogging Karachi? · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

All Things Pakistan points to a notice on Metroblogging Karachi announcing its closure – and wonders if it's an April Fool spin.


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Panama: Using the OLPC as Vote-Seeking Machine · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

At OLPC News, A. Barrera writes about his experiences with trying to get the Panamanian government interested in participating in the One Laptop Per Child project and that “the XO, based on the acquisition and implementation scheme he has proposed (essentially a government top-down strategy), could become a political vote-seeking machine in the governmental party arsenal at the time of elections, instead of a long-range educational transformation tool.”


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Peru: Opera Singer To Close Central Square in Lima · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Laslo Rojas does not think that the Main Plaza in Lima, Peru should be closed for the wedding of the opera singer, Juan Diego Florez [es], which is scheduled to take place on April 5.  The opera singer had indicated that the central square would not be closed, but rather security measures would be taken.


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Qatar: More Men than Women · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Ever Wondered what is Qatar best know for, other then the Olympic ambition, the booming economy, the 2nd worlds largest Natural Gas reserve…
Well well, Qatar is also know to have the world’s highest male to female ratio. to be more specific, for every 2 male you have one female or something close to that,” writes Diesel1210 at Qatar Living.


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Qatar: On the Road to Victory · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saddavi at Qatar Living congratulates the Qatari football team for its first three points on the road to South Africa 2010 (Fifa World Cup), after beating Asian champions Iraq 2-0.


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Qatar: Sami Alhajj’s Hand Drawings Censored · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

US authorities have stopped the publishing of hand drawings by Sami Alhajj, Aljazeera cameramen imprisoned in Guantanamo, depicting his hunger strike and how he was tortured, reports Abdulrahman Warsame, from Qatar.


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Qatar: Twittering Downing Street  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Qatar, Mohamed Nanabhay stumbles upon a Downing Street Twitter message board, posts a question and gets a response too.


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Saudi Arabia: Electronic Games – The Good, the Bad, and the Overlooked · Global Voices
Global Voices MENA

The newly-founded Saudi Information Technology Club, a non-profit organization established by young, Saudi IT enthusiasts and situated in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom between the cities of Dammam and Khobar, held a unique initiative which targeted the largely-overlooked subject of the effects of electronic gaming on youth.
The event was woven around a presentation by Engineer Yasser M. Bahjat, World Cyber Games board member and Electronic Sports World Cup supervisor in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia [link], titled “Electronic Games: The New Media Outlet.” Bahjat is responsible for phenomenon such as Badr Hakeem, who won the ESWC in 2005 playing in the Pro Evolution Soccer division, and was in the headlines in 2006, and for getting Saudi Arabia to the second round of the ESWC in both 2004 and 2007.
The presentation was aimed at parents to educate them about the potential harms and benefits of electronic games and the guidelines to safe gaming. He also addressed the possibility of developing electronic games in the region. “Electronic games are not toys; we need to understand this first. And don't criticize or approve of an electronic game right away; try it, read about it, and listen to what gaming communities are saying about it, online and offline. That's the only way you can determine if a game is suitable for your son or daughter,” said Bahjat.
In addition, Bahjat mentioned that the average age of individuals who play video games at least four hours a week in the United States is 34 years. He also cited an interesting study that was conducted in New York in which surgeons “who spent at least three hours a week playing video games made about 37% fewer mistakes in laparoscopic surgery and performed the task 27% faster than their counterparts who did not play video games.” Following the presentation, Bahjat answered some questions and concerns that the audience had, which was made up of both male and female attendees, regarding the topic.
The presentation was held at the Center for the Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Program for Youth Development at 6:00pm [GMT+3] and was broadcasted live on Yahoo! Live by fellow Saudi blogger and Saudi IT Club member, Saleh Al-Zaid. It was also followed by an inspirational speech given by Abdulrahman Tarabzouni, a Saudi MIT graduate student, titled “The World Awaits You.”
In Saudi Arabia, video games receive the majority of the blame for the spread of obesity among Saudi youth, coming close-second only to cartoons when it comes to children [link]. Electronic games have also gained the attention of Saudi authorities for many other reasons; this article in Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat talks about a Saudi campaign against violent video games (especially one which illustrates a fight between the United States and Al-Qaeda). The name of the video game in question was not disclosed but is most likely Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
Electronic games in the Saudi market are worth about 187 million dollars, which represents 30% of the Saudi retail market [link]. The Saudi game market receives about 3 million video games annually; only 10,000 of those games are original copies and the rest is pirated. Other numbers were also included in the previously-linked article; the average Saudi youth spends about $400 on video games annually and over 60% of Saudi households have at least one gaming console.
Electronic games were also the target of a recent Saudi study conducted among participants in a juvenile detention center in the Saudi capital of Riyadh [link]. The study showed that “90% of the juveniles were affected negatively by video games and sought to imitate these games in reality.”
Keyword here should be moderation, which is a something that is very unlikely to come about at such a young age as that of gamers in the Kingdom. For that reason, the electronic gaming division in the Saudi IT Club was created; for the aforesaid reason and for Saudi youngsters to be introduced to moderate and safe gaming by other Saudi youngsters.
Related Blog Entries and News:

author: Global Voices MENA


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Saudi Arabia: Impressive Iranian Artist  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudi blogger Rasheed Abou-Alsamh is impressed with Iranian artist Ramin Haerizadehme, whose works depict photomontages, and which went on display at Art Dubai.


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Saudi Arabia: Justice and the Constitution  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Human Rights Watch has just released its country reports on Saudi Arabia, writes Saudi Jeans, who goes on to discuss justice and the constitution in his country.


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Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, EU: Hunt for Karadzic · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Balkan Baby writes about the implications of yet another failed attempt to capture Radovan Karadzic.


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South East Asia: China And Southern Neighbors · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Milton Osborne looks at the Chinese trade expansion in the South East Asian nations just to the south of it and some of the concerns that are coming out of these countries.


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Tonga: Muddy Water · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

The Tonga Review writes about a newly commissioned multi-million dollar water system that produces muddy water.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Shark & Bake · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Calling Shark and Bake a fish sandwich is like calling the bikini a swimsuit,” writes This Beach Called Life, as he blogs about one of Trinidad and Tobago's favourite foods.


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Ukraine: Kyiv Protest Photos · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LJ user eagle_x posts photos from Kyiv (UKR), where a few hundred people protested on the day of George W. Bush's visit.


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Venezuela: A Month for Farewells – Part I · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

This is a two-part series highlighting tributes to two Venezuelan artists.
Late 2007 and early 2008 were two periods of loss for the Venezuelan cultural soul with the passing of two prominent personalities both in music and literature. The death of Aldemaro Romero in September 2007 and Adriano González León in January of this year, left a vacant space in all that saw themselves and their identity reflected through these artists’ expressions. Although both losses had taken place months ago it seems that March gathered people in order to pay homage and bid farewell to these artists. Concerts, lectures and different activities in the publishing space demonstrated the will of keeping the heritage alive of this two personalities, recognizing remarkably that what the soul does for the body is what the artists do for their people. (*)
I. Aldemaro Romero.
A variety of bands, orchestras, concerts and the presentation of the book:  Meeting with the people, finished little before his death, were some of the ways that the art of Aldemaro Romero was remembered. According to Wikipedia, “Romero was a prolific composer, creating a wide range of music, such as Caribbean, Jazz, Venezuelan waltzes, including works for orchestra, orchestra and soloist, orchestra and choir, chamber music, up to symphonic works of great dimensions[…]Romero was the creator of a new form of Venezuelan music, known as “New Wave” (Onda Nueva), derived from the joropo and influenced by Brazilian Bossa Nova. He also had an important role in the field of learned music. In 1979 founded the Caracas Philarmonic Orchestra, of which he was the first Conductor. He also conducted the London Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Romanian Radio/TV and the Royal Philarmonic Orchestra. He was the father of Aldemaro Romero, Jr., who is a renowned biologist in the United States and a leader in Cave fish and Marine Mammal research and Ruby Romero de Issaev, producer and marketing director for Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida in Miami.
The Venezuelan blogosphere also took part in the homage and bidding farewell by analyzing the influence of this composer in Venezuela’s culture and contemporary music.
La Coctelera [es] remembers the good days:
[Aldemaro Romero]Marcó una época importante de la música venezolana con su grupo Onda Nueva pero también siempre estuvo ligado a la música orquestal, pasión que supo inculcar a su hija Adelaida quien fue nuestra directora en el coro de la Filarmónica de Caracas, que él fundó. Hermosa época.
[Aldemaro Romero] marked an important time in Venezuelan music with his New Wave group, but was also associated with orchestral music, a passion that he managed to teach to his daughter Adelaida who was our chorus’ director in the Caracas Philharmonic Orchestra, which was also founded by him. Beautiful times.
Música, Jazz and Roll [es] underlines his importance:
Proyectos como Onda Nueva le dieron inmortalidad al maestro, combos musicales donde supo unir con delicadeza, lo folklórico, con el jazz y lo urbano, minas musicales que solo el aprendió a trabajar, sacándole el mayor provecho creativo, haciendo lo mas difícil para todo músico, crear algo que nadie se había atrevido a crear, es así como surge el sonido Onda Nueva, un regalo, un legado que el maestro Romero le dejo a la música universal, su firma en forma de notas musicales.
Escena Viva [es] says:
La segunda mitad del siglo veinte musical venezolano tiene en Aldemaro Romero su eje básico de referencia. Cuanto más logradas prosiguen su obra genuina y polémica personalidad, se afinca el criterio que lo calibra como el músico integral más importante de la Venezuela moderna y contemporánea.
Th late 20th century’s, music has in Aldemaro Romero as its main reference.  As both his genuine works and controversial personality remain, the formula of his fine and well achieved works, the idea that places him as Venezuela’s most complete and important musicians becomes everyday stronger.
Enough of words. Romero’s music says enough, as you can find more on his homepage [es], as well as various YouTube videos.
Part II, which honors Adriano González León will be published later this week.

author: Laura Vidal


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Venezuela: Poor Experiences at Caracas Clinic · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Luis Carlos Díaz of Periodismo de Paz [es] recounts some of the bad experiences with care for his loved ones in the Sanatrix Clinc in Caracas, Venezuela and posts on his blog to draw attention to to the poor service.  The blog post also shows up as the third result in a Google search.


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What more must Zimbabweans do? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

What more must Zimbabweans do? This question was posted at This is Zimbabwe blog. Bev Clark, blogging at Kubatana blog responds, “…a helluva lot.” Bev argues that unseating a dictator does not only take place through an electoral process:
It does not, and in fact we’ve tried that a few times. Sure there needs to be an election to expose – what is so clearly being exposed – the work of Rigger Mugabe. But it doesn’t end there. A stolen election needs to be backed up by strong civic resistance. And usually its a good idea to have civic resistance guided by strong leadership. This is where Plan B comes in – the elephant in the room as far as the political opposition and civil society is concerned.
There is absolutely no question that the MDC has worked hard and campaigned strongly, but this is not enough. The MDC must prepare their supporters for resistance and be willing to lead them. Clear leadership from the MDC will mitigate spontaneous and sporadic violence. Civil society organisations must ignite their memberships (if indeed they actually have them) and lead them in defense of their vote. The international community must be prepared to speak out and support democratic change in Zimbabwe.
Here are some of the voices of the people:
We have tried the democratic route more than three times now and the election has been stolen. We have tried the courts, and up to now Tsvangirai does not have a verdict for an election of 2002.We have no choice but to go beyond “round 2” and we have to exercise people power. Odinga asserted himself and the world stopped and listened. Politics is about making the appropriate judgments and if Tsvangirai thinks the international community is going to give us independence then he will remain in opposition forever. Way Forward: Let’s reclaim State House, its unoccupied anyway!!!
Marko Phiri sees the possibility of people being pushed into “wild orgies of protests”:
But one has to take the pulse in the urban streets since the 29th of March – the people have had it, and if they are not pushed to anarchy and wild orgies of protests then it remains in the domain of the esoteric as one attempts to decipher why Zimbabweans will never rise and claim their right to a better life.
He also writes about a man playing protest music at his “beer garden”:
Blaring from the speakers of a public address system with the din reaching more than 5 five neighbourhood streets is music which is likely to earn the man spinning the discs a thorough beating from the thought police. He plays Hugh Masekela where he exhorts by name African despots – including our very own – to cede power and retire peacefully; he plays Mbongeni Ngema’s Freedom Is Coming Tomorrow, from the Sarafina soundtrack; he plays Thomas Mapfumo’s Jojo; he plays that Oliver Mutukudzi classic Bvuma. And I am like, “What the %*$#? This is Sunday where those who voted and those who didn’t are at the pub imagining they are whiling away minutes expecting the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission tobegin the announcement of Saturday’s polls and here is a guy nailing his colours to the mast giving patrons – and whole neighbourhoods – his thoughts about the current affairs.
Still Here conducted an informal survey at a supermarket:
I went to the supermarket today to peruse the empty shelves. What fun.
While there, I decided to run an informal survey.
I asked 9 people what they would do if Bob gets in.
6 answered they would leave the counry; 1 said she would follow me wherever I went; and only 1 said he would march on State house.
I wonder if the 6 who are leaving have already cut their hole in the fence and what area of crime they will be forced to enter in their unwelcome destinations?
Dewa Mavhinga questions the credibility of Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC):
Because of the highly suspicious behaviour of ZEC of taking too long to announce official results, there are genuine fears that Mugabe and ZANU PF want to subvert the will of the people and silence the people who have spoken through the ballot by fixing figures and announcing that Mugabe and ZANU PF as winners. There are rumours now swilling in Harare that security chiefs are in marathon meetings preparing to rig elections and prepare to crush any challenge to their electoral fraud.
I must say the conduct of ZEC is reckless and inconsiderate as it puts the nation at risk of a Kenya style revolt as the absence of official results for no apparent reason creates tension and anxiety in the people. It is criminal and treasonous for security chiefs to interfere with the counting of the vote and the announcements; security chiefs must be warned that days of lawlessness and mayhem in Zimbabwe are over. In a new Zimbabwe we will hold them to account for their actions. If Zimbabwe’s army and police think that they can hold the nation hostage they are dreaming; no-one can stop the wind of change that is sweeping across Zimbabwe, not Mugabe, not Chihuri, and not Chiwenga. Mugabe has said his conscience will not let him sleep if he steals an election (l wonder how he has managed to sleep since 2000), so he must heed his conscience and do the honourable thing of respecting the will of the nation. Zimbabwe needs a new political leadership with fresh ideas. Zimbabwe cannot move on with Mugabe at the helm; Mugabe must go, and he must go now before he plunges our beloved country into chaos and bloodshed.
Izzy wonders why a simple arithmetic takes over 48 hours. He advices voters to email and phone ZEC to complain:
Email the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) at zecpr@gta.gov.zw or phone them on +263 4 781 903 to complain about the unacceptable delay in announcing the results.
Amanda Atwood analyses the results:
As it stands, based on our own tally of results, Zanu PF has the largest number of votes of any party, but the combined other contesters outstrip Zanu PF.
These results have been recorded by hand off the ZEC announcements, and then transposed onto a spreadsheet, so some errors may have been made along the way, but it looks something like this:
•	Total votes cast: 1,184,723
•	Zanu PF: 555,189
•	MDC (Tsvangirai): 492,346
•	MDC (Mutambara): 94,560
•	Combined Independents/Other parties: 42,628
So Zanu PF is ahead. But if you add up all non-Zanu PF votes, they don’t look quite so comfortably positioned:
•	Zanu PF: 555,189 (46.9% of votes cast)
•	Total non-Zanu PF votes: 629,534 (53.1%)
In other words, at least at a House of Assembly level, with 109 of 209 constituencies reported (one constituency was uncontested, and was declared for Zanu PF without an election), Zanu PF has more votes than any party, but not an absolute majority of votes cast.
According to This is Zimbabwe, the results show that the opposition will control the House of Assembly:
These results clearly show that the opposition coalition now enjoys a majority control of the House of Assembly. However, please be aware that should Mugabe steal the Presidential vote, according to the constitution he would have the power to dissolve the House of Assembly.
Parallel Voter Tabulation (PVT) results have been compared to the “official” Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) figures. The “official” results are emanating from the government controlled body at a snail pace and indicate massive discrepancies in certain constituencies, a clear sign Zanu PF is desperately attempting to inflate results in their favour. This is being done to reduce Morgan Tsvangirai’s presidential vote to below the 50% plus 1 result required for him to win the race in round one.
Izzy writes about the Independent Results Center, a group that has been posting election results on its website based on reports from their agents on the ground:
In 2008 a secretive group of compatriots may have gotten the jump on Mugabe they came prepared and knowing Zimbabwe's electoral law they knew results would be posted as bulletin outside every polling station. The group deployed trained polling agents, equipped with phones and cameras, throughout the country on election day Saturday, and they counted voters and took photographs of voting results pasted up at voting stations (a previously unobserved requirement of voting regulations). The information was sent via text messages or satellite phone to a call center in South Africa, where it was collated and posted at www.zimelectionresults.com for all to see. “These will be archived on this Web site later as forensic evidence,” the site says.
This is Zimbabwe and The Bearded Man are also posting latest election results.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Afghanistan: No Pashtuns Here? · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Josh Foust opines on the statement made by a provincial official in Afghanistan about the insurgents, particularly that most of the fighters are foreign.


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Arabeyes: April Fool’s Day · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Pranks were in the air across the Arab world this April Fool's Day. Ranging from an Israeli withdrawal from Palestine, to the sale of Mars to Dubai and the construction of a pipeline to supply the red planet with water from the Arabian Gulf, to the plight of a baby camel in Cairo, readers were left scratching their heads in disbelief.
From Libya, UT briefs us about the tradition, which started in France in the 16th century, after the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1562.
In Bahrain, blogger Mahmood Al Yousif invites his readers to share their pranks of the day.
Come on guys, fess up. Who fell for an April Fool’s Joke so far and what was it?
Reader Jonathan doesn't let the opportunity slip and writes:
I’m willing to go for a “Israel is willing to withdraw everything and leave Palestine if compensated” OR even “Israel is shutting down the net” which is Closer than you think.
Hani Al Yousif too made the most of the occasion and admits:
I woke Gillian up extra early going “Where’s the car?!”
In Dubai, Secret Dubai continues with an annual tradition, entrapping his readers with a new grandiose scheme for the already larger than life Emirate. His spoof says:
Faced with lukewarm celebrity interest in its The World artificial islands project, Dubai has decided to build The Actual World.
The multi-trillion dollar mega-project, believed to be largest in the known universe, will see a scale replica of the entire Earth rebuilt on the planet Mars.
The Red Planet was recently acquired by Dubai Holdings as part of its property portfolio diversification strategy.
Sheikh Jamal Abu Shagara, CEO of The Actual World, says a deal has already been signed with a Norwegian company to build a 250 million mile irrigation pipe to transfer water from the Arabian Gulf to Mars.
Needless to say, a reader fell for the scam. The blogger, whose blog is blocked in the United Arab Emirates, says in response to a comment:
To be honest, I was just reading it back to myself shortly before your comment, and I found myself reading it as though it was real. Even though I only wrote it today, it seemed as though I was reading someone else's press release or article.
I think I've read one too many Dubai's! World! Biggest! First! kind of stories.
Anyway maybe this post will prompt some sheikh to actually attempt this. Oh – except none of them can read it of course, since I've been blocked as contravening sandland values ;)
Sunbula, from Kabobfest, too fell for an online trick while surfing an Egyptian listserv called Cairo Scholars that foreigners use in Cairo. One of the posters wrote:
dear cairoscholars,
i found a baby camel outside my building in february. it looked malnourished so i took it in and have been caring for it for the last month. it's exceptionally cute and has been dubbed baby joe by my gregarious bowab (doorman). the problem is that i have to go back to the united states and i am wondering if anyone has any advice for what i should do about shipping baby joe. does anyone know if fedex or ups ships live animals, and about how much would it cost? we both thank you.
– chris
Sunbula lists some of the responses the plea received here.
Meanwhile in Iraq, things take a serious turn with Neurotic Iraqi Wife who decides not to play a joke on her husband. She explains:
I had a few ideas for April Fools today. Call HUBBY and tell him I quit my job. Call HUBBBY and tell him I chopped my hair off. Call HUBBY and tell him I quit smoking yeah right! Or call HUBBY and tell him that there was the most hugest blast ever in the GZ and theyve started to evacuate us!(Thats nasty, I know) But then I thought about it, and realized, I wasnt gonna do any of that because one, I wasnt in the mood to joke, and two,there are a few people out there who can do this much much better than I would. People who can fool the whole world. Not just fool one person, but 6.60 billion people. You decide which one deserves the Trophy. The April Fools Trophy of the Century…
She invites her readers to bestow the honour on either Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki, US President G W Bush, US Senator John McCain or Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Muqtada Al Sadr.


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Argentina: Video of Anti-Protest in Buenos Aires · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

David Sasaki compiles a video complete with background information regarding the anti-protest held in Buenos Aires in support of President Cristina Kirchner and her policies, which has angered rural farmers and producers.


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Armenia: A1 Plus Anniversary · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped remembers the sixth anniversary of the demise of A1 Plus, an opposition TV station stripped of its license in 2002. The blog says that when A1 Plus returns to the airwaves it believes it will mean Armenia is a better country to live in.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bahamas: Renewable Energy · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The fact that The Bahamas Electricity Corporation will be inviting proposals for renewable energy power purchase agreements in several candidate technologies marks “a dramatic policy shift”, according to Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith.


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Bahrain: Harmony in Diversity  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Over millennia, Bahrain has been an oasis of peace, embracing people of all religions, creeds and races. Bahraini blogger Messiah's Blood (Ar) finds an old picture of a neighbourhood in the capital Manama, which reflects harmony in diversity.
Messiah's Blood posts the picture above and comments:
استوقفتني هذه الصوره لما تحمل من معاني مخبئه وراء هذه الحشد من المباني المتراصه التي كثيرا ما كنت امر عليها دون ان اتنبه لدلالتها .
– الدائره الاولي علي اليسار هي لجامع الفاروق للطائفه السنيه .
– المساحه المفتوحه هي مقبره ومسجد تابع للطائفه الشيعيه .
– اما الدائره الصغيره التي ترونها فهي عباره عن حائط يحمل صليب الكنيسه الانجيليه .
بهذه القدر من التعايش كانت هذه المنطقه تعيش فعمر هذه الرموز يتجاوز 100 عام كلها اجتمعت برقعه واحده من الارض .
This picture drew my attention because of the symbolism hidden behind those buildings. I have passed by this area many times without realising its significance.
– The first circle on the left shows Al Farooq Mosque, which is for the Sunni sect.
– The open area is a cemetery and mosque for the Shia sect.
– The small circle you see is a wall which carries the cross of the  Evanglican Church.
This reflects the level of co-existence in this area, where these structures are more than a 100 years old each. They are all gathered in one small part of this world.


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Bermuda, Jamaica: Garveyism · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Instead of people coming together to create a better society regardless of race, class, gender, sexual orientation etc, they would have us descend further back into tribalism and sectarianism”: A Radical in Bermuda discusses what he sees as “the problem with Garveyism.”


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Bermuda: More Police · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Vexed Bermoothes is pleased that “the Bermuda Police have hired 100 recruits from the Caribbean to boost our local force.”


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Brazil: No talks about politics in blogs · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Leonardo Fontes [pt], still on the law that bans blogs from the elections in Brazil: “While the American presidential campaign takes place in the Internet with a strong debate that is the envy of any bar talk, our law wants to stop the best part about politics: the free expression of opinions and the free discussion of proposals. 2008 will be a great opportunity for civil disobedience, I want to see who will make my .com offline.

author: Paula Góes


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Brazil: They killed Chico Mendes’ ideals · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Altino Machado [pt] has interviewed Ilzamar Mendes, murdered Brazilian environmental activist Chico Mendes‘ widow. “She makes a harsh assessment at the time that the Chico Mendes Virtual Committee, the Labor Party and the Acre “government of the forest” begin to “celebrate” the 20th anniversary of the Xapuri's rubber tapper's murder. “They killed Chico's ideals,” says the president of the  Chico Mendes Foundation.


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Bulgaria: Rethinking History – A National Holiday in Days of Tragedy · Global Voices
Yavor Mihaylov

On March 3, Bulgaria celebrates its biggest national holiday. On this date the Treaty of San Stefano between Russia and the Ottoman Empire was signed, concluding the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 that put an end to the Ottoman presence in Bulgaria. However, like a number of historical events, this date has been subject to rethinking after the collapse of communism.
A renowned journalist and blogger Ivo Berov writes in his blog (BUL):
There is no such national holiday in the world. A day on which a people celebrates the victory of a foreign army, admitting its incapacity to liberate itself and do something heroic. And on this day, bookmarked as a national holiday, the Bulgarians have to declare: “We are proud that the Russian army liberated us.” Only there is no such pride. Not in the rest of the world. There is only humiliation.
[…]
In vain will all media sing praises to a veteran KGB agent, who can be a representative of anything else but the Russian tsarist armies and Alexander II – the Tsar Liberator of Bulgaria.
The majority of the Bulgarians, however, never give thought to these questions and instead they just celebrate.
This year, though, a tragic event cast a shadow on the celebrations and kindled even more the discussion about the emblematic date. On the night of Feb. 28, a fire started aboard an overnight train from Kardam to Sofia. Nine people lost their lives in the disaster. The majority of Bulgarians thought that a national mourning must be declared, but the authorities postponed it until after the national holiday celebrations. Georgi Grancharov wrote (BUL) in his blog:
I don’t feel like writing. Although I wanted to. I had such ideas buzzing in my head… Everything went away with the morning papers. And with the news, impressions and events from the recent days.
I was to celebrate the national holiday. I was to write about my visit to the Museum of Military History, I was to… I don’t remember what. Everything is now drowned in the unreal nightmare, from which there stand out the horrifying photographs of burned carriages, weeping people, unbearable pain and the shadow of a prodigal raped state that does not remember where it came from and does not know where it is heading.
Suspicions grew that employees of the Bulgarian State Railways had reacted inadequately and could thus be responsible for the spreading of the fire and the high death toll, as it emerged that the carriage doors remained locked during the tragic accident. A number of people supposed that the cause could be a technical flaw overlooked in the course of technical checks. Radan Kanev writes (BUL) in his blog, The Reformist Diaries:
I will not write about the causes of the fire and respectively – the options to undertake legal action in relation with it. Prior to the conclusions of the expert commissions, all hypothesizing is just intellectual antics of dubious value. The question of amenability is premature.
It appears, however – and beyond doubt at that – that the deaths were due to the locked carriage doors. That’s how the Bulgarian State Railways solve the problem with burglaries and “fare evaders” – by means of locking up the carriages…
It is also certain beyond any doubt that when Daniel’s [Daniel Vichev, one of the victims] friends undertook a search to find him in the evening of March 1 – the police at Cherven Bryag [near the crash site] refused to cooperate with them because the area of the search was in the jurisdiction of the Lukovit police. The police in Lukovit [also near the crash site] informed the search team that they had a single patrol car, which was being used for the needs of the town, and that they had no … flashlights.
At the Civil Defense branch in Pleven, they were told that they could not take part in the search, because “they have no order from the prosecutor’s office.” This last thing is a blatant lie – prosecutors do not carry out searches, and Civil Defense does not conduct legal proceedings.
Locked doors…
Friends and relatives to Daniel Vicev, one of the victims, have launched a blog, in which they insisted that the truth about the disaster must be established (BUL):
If we want to find the people to blame, if we want to take action to preclude the existence of killer trains, if we want to find out what the last minutes of the nine burnt victims were, help us find eyewitnesses and make a simulation of the fire and the ensuing actions of the passengers and the railway employees.
[…]
To remember and not let this ever happen again. We have to know the truth, so that we could find the ones to blame. We are counting on you!
The public was further outraged when a small provincial newspaper wrote that the president Georgi Parvanov went hunting in the days following the disaster. The article would have probably gone unnoticed if several renowned bloggers had not published parts of it. In this relation another popular blogger and journalist, Simion Pateev wrote (BUL) in his blog, Nabludatel:
Do the public figures have the responsibility to be role models for the society? Yes, they do, because as a rule every society emulates its leaders. If they are no good, then the society will be no good. President Georgi Parvanov was a good role model for Bulgarians. He was vehemently celebrating the “fatherland” holiday, toying with nationalism in days of crisis, when we found out that prior to that the president went hunting foxes and wolves in utmost secrecy. Meanwhile, people in the morgue were trying to somehow ascertain the precise number of the victims of the fire on the Kardam-Sofia train, using the remains of pieces of bones?! It was also a mistake that not one of the “grand” statesmen went to the site of the tragedy, leaving the people guessing and spawning rumours.
Konstantin Pavlov sums it all up in his blog (BUL):
Frankly, I would prefer a national mourning to such “celebrations” to commemorate March 3.

author: Yavor Mihaylov


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Cabinet members of Singapore and Malaysia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Quachees's blog compares the Cabinet composition of the governments of Malaysia and Singapore.


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Cape Verde: On the lack of a theatre in Praia · Global Voices
Paula Góes

João Branco [pt] on the lack of a theatre in the Cape Verde capital: “Perhaps it is here that lies the starting point for us to question the fact that in a city so full of life, of poetry, of contrasts, colors, smells, feelings of impossibilities, ironies, absurd, in short, in a blatantly theatrical city, there isn't, at the moment, a theatre that does justice to it”.


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Central Asia: Central Asian Rulers on Postage Stamps · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Epolet offers in his post a collection of postage stamps with the images of Central Asian presidents.


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Chile: Web Entrepreneur Conference in Chile · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Luis Ramírez provides his thoughts on the recent Webprendedor 2008 conference in Chile [es], which brought together web entrepreneurs interested in presenting their new projects.


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China: An Email From a Tibetan Girl · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Liang Yue posted an email from a Tibetan girl talking about her experience in encountering with Han people and culture. She was educated in Han Chinese and couldn't speak in Tibetan due to subtle cultural discrimination [zh].


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China and Tibet: Thanks Giving Campaign · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The Chinese government started a thanks giving campaign to urge Tibetan be thankful to the pro-Tibetan policy. Wang Lixiong made a list of thankful policy and asked why Tibetans are not thankful afterall? And he invited Tibetans to speak out in woser's blog[zh].


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China: Anti-CNN and Press Freedom · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Glockwq has joined the anti-CNN campaign. For him the campaign is to fight for freedom, not for Olympic, nor for the country [zh]


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China: Hu Jia to be sentenced today · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Update: On Thursday morning, Hu Jia was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison.
Hu Jia goes back on ‘trial’ in a few hours where it is expected he will be handed down a sentence of up to five years in prison based on two interviews given and six unspecified blog posts most of which written during the more than one year he spent under house arrest.
Charging Hu with state subversion is proving as difficult for the legal process as it is for Chinese premier Wen Jiabao; when asked directly last month, during one of the most public appearances Wen gives each year, about Hu Jia's situation, the response Wen gave sounded to many like a denial that any ‘dissidents’ had even been arrested.
Playing Captain Kangaroo may work in Zhongnanhai, but the reality that Hu and Zeng and their supporters have chosen to live in goes more like a Kanye West song. When Hu was first kidnapped around this time two years ago, Zeng Jinyan started a blog on which she documented the bureaucratic games she saw being played as she ran around Beijing trying unsuccessfully to find out what had happened to her husband, who was dropped off miles from home and with no notice over a month later.
When Zeng herself soon became subject to constant surveillance, she slammed on the brakes and started getting in their face.
Placing Hu under ongoing house arrest in 2006 effectively put an end to the environmental protection and AIDS awareness work for which he had already become quite well-known, and so trapped at home with little more than an internet connection, he not only created a whole new approach to activism, which some are calling Tiananmen 2.0, he switched gears to become a social worker of sorts, enabled by technology to keep constant track of a whole range of cases, and where possible, enabling others [zh] to do the same.
In 2007, Zeng Jinyan was chosen by TIME Magazine as one of the most influential people in the world.
This will no doubt go down as a landmark moment in Chinese history, but to this day anyone looking to China's largest search engine for more information needs to be prepared for disappointment. In the China of today, though, someone like Hu Jia just doesn't quietly disappear, and when state agents abducted him again last December, near-blind family friend Zheng Mingfang went straight to the streets and did what she could, walking up to strangers and explaining Hu's situation, collecting signatures for a petition calling for his release. Early last month, however, Zheng too was arrested.
On Facebook, there are Hu Jia support groups. There's a cause.
Hu Jia and Zeng Jinyan spent months filming their would-be captors for a documentary, Prisoners in Freedom City. After Hu was abducted a second time in December last year and not quickly released, someone got hold of a copy and put it online, and not just in one place, but several.
Following Hu Jia's arrest late last December, when it came to appear that his and Zeng Jinyan's newborn baby's health was at risk, enough momentum grew out of scattered online chatter that a group of netizens tried to force their way up to Zeng's door to deliver milk powder. When that proved unsuccessful, someone thought it through, and got it right. And still others went on to try.
Hu Jia kept it simple; in preparing posts for his blog, he did interviews over Skype, then sometimes sent them out over e-mail as .mp3 attachments. Clearly there were things he could have done better, but shortly after his arrest we saw the formation of a Netizen Party, with clearly stated intention to stick to using the highly encrypted services offered by Gmail and Skype.
One of the first things the authorities did in December last year when Hu was taken away and Zeng placed under house arrest, where she remains today, was to cut off her internet connection and confiscate her phones. Despite this, Zeng's blog kept on getting updated. And supporters kept translating it.
The second she got her cellphone back, Zeng started sending out photos. When Hu had his first day in court, we saw drive-by vlogging. Zeng's even managed to release a podcast.
Wen Jiabao almost seems justified in denying that any activists or netizens have or are being detained, given all the networks of bloggers out there so equally resolved not to accept it. If the bogus charges against Hu do somehow end up being dropped today, we only have more of ingenuity in blogging to look forward to. If they don't, and Zeng and her daughter remain captive to their squadron of nosepickers, didn't China finally launch 3G networks this week? It won't be long before we'll see a House Arrested Beijing channel on Qik.com.
Speaking of which, a post this week on Zeng Jinyan's blog says that Hu's trial at 9:30 a.m. on April 3 in courtroom 23 at Beijing #1 People's Intermediate Court will be open proceedings, and Zeng intends to be there.
Here's a poem from Hu-Zeng friend Teng Biao, written in prison after he himself was kidnapped for two days early last month and translated now by Under the Jacaranda Tree blogger C.A. Yeung, ‘To my wife, from jail‘:
Presently as I confront prison walls,
Now I write this poem for you, my Love, my Lady, my Wife.
Even tonight, the stars glitter in the cold sky of apparent isolation.
Glowworms yet appear and disappear among the shrubs.
Please explain to our child why I did not have a chance
to bid her farewell. I was compelled to embark on a long journey away from home.
And so, everyday before our daughter goes to bed,
And when she awakes in the morning,
I will entrust to you, my Lady, my Love, my Wife:
I entrust to you, my warm kisses on our daughter’s cheeks.
Please let our child touch the herbs beneath the stockade.
In the morning on a beautiful sunlit day,
If she notices the dew on the leaves,
She will experience my deep love for her.
Please play the Fisherman’s Song every time you water the cloves.
I should be able to hear the song, my love.
Please take good care of our silent but happy goldfish.
Hidden in their silence are memories of my glamourous and turbulent youth.
I tread a rugged road,
But let me reassure you: I have never stopped singing, my Love.
The leaves of the roadside willow tree have gradually changed colour.
Some noises of melting snow approach from afar.
Noises are engulfed in silence. This is just a very simple night.
When you think of me, please do not sigh, my Love.
The torrents of my agonies have merged with the torrents of my happiness.
Both rivers now run through my mortal corpse.
Before the drizzle halts,
I would have returned to your side, my Lady.
I cannot dry your tears while I am drenched in rain;
I can do so only with a redeemed soul after these times of testing.

author: John Kennedy


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China: Upgrading National Product · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Xueyong discussed about Japan's extremely high price in agricultural product and suggested that China should up-grade its national product rather than depend on property market and extensive development for sustaining economic growth [zh].


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Colombia: bloggers gathering signatures for copyright and industrial property letter · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Carolina Botero, lawyer and Creative Commons promoter in Colombia has been asking bloggers and anyone else with computer access and an interest in what are popularly called “intellectual property rights” to sign an open letter which will be sent to CONPES, the National Council for Social and Economic Politics, to counter a bill the DNP (National Planning Department) previously sent to them, where the new models of sharing knowledge that provide alternatives to the traditional “protection and enforcement” policies were completely ignored.
On Carolina Botero's article,  Digital Culture is Ignored in the CONPES Intellectual Property Document [es] she explains how the National Planning Department seems to have completely passed over the newer developments regarding digital media distribution, and points out one by one the cases that the research done by the DNP missed in their diagnosis.
Con el documento que se presentará este mes para aprobación en el CONPES estamos adoptando como modelo de desarrollo el de “protección y observancia” del modelo tradicional de derecho de autor, útil para un mundo de medios físicos (impreso, cinta, CD, etc.), pero que no es la única opción en entornos digitales ni en los negocios, y además, es excluyente para ciertos sectores.
With the document which will be presented this month for CONPES’ approval we would be adopting as a development model the traditional “protection and enforcement” one, useful for a physical media world (printed documents, tape, CDs, etc) but which isn´t the only option in digital environments or business, and which also ends up excluding other areas.
You can read more details about this letter and proposed bill on icommons.org, where Carolina compares the new policies to the cartoon character “Captain Copyright” in Captain Copyright reappears in Colombia. In the comments, there are discussions regarding the incorrect bundling of these issues as “intellectual property” and  someone the proposal to create  parody comic character who protects copyrights, as a spoof on Captain Copyright.
The three items requested from the CONPES to take into consideration are involving government institutions in education and culture to speak out about their special needs and legal regimes regarding this topic, to involve the civil society actors who may be interested in this issue, and to start drafting another document to address the other aspects of the copyright regime in case this limited document is approved.
You can sign the petition by following this link[es].

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Costa Rica: Difficulties to Visit Spain · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Juan Carlos Hidalgo links to an article and discusses how difficult it is for Costa Ricans to visit Spain, due to all of the immigration regulations.


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Cuba, Barbados: Zimbabwe Elections · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Both Child of the Revolution and Barbados Free Press have been following the recent developments in Zimbabwe…

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Ecuador: God in the New Constitution · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

During the process of rewriting Ecuador's Constitution, Cronica Cero [es] wonders if God should part of the text, but thinks that God would be more content with positive acts, rather than empty promises.


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Jamaica, Cuba: Pau-Llosa’s Poetry  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As part of National Poetry Month, Jamaican Geoffrey Philp features the work of Cuban poet Ricardo Pau-Llosa.


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Jordan: What Do Our Children Read?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“What do our children read?” is the question posed by Jordanian Batir Wardam (Ar), who finds himself pleading on behalf of a girl at a bookshop who wanted to buy a children's magazine against her nonchalant mother's wishes.
While at a bookstore, Wardam tunes into a conversation a young girl was having with her mother:
قبل فترة وبينما كنت أشتري مجموعة من المجلات في مكتبة – أعرف أن هذا غريب ولكن لا يزال هناك بعض الناس يمارس خطيئة القراءة في الأردن – سمعت طفلة صغيرة وهي تناشد أمها التي كانت مهتمة بتصفح مجلات الأزياء وتطلب منها شراء مجلة للأطفال.
الأم لم تكن معنية كثيرا وقالت للطفلة بأن المجلة أكبر من عمرها وهي لا تستطيع القراءة. ولكن في الحقيقة فإن المجلة التي تطلبها الطفلة كانت مخصصة للتسالي وحلول الألغاز التي تنمي الذكاء ولا تحتاج لمهارات قراءة عالية وبإمكان الطفلة وهي في الصف الأول أو الثاني أن تقرأها بسهولة.
While I was at a bookshop buying a few magazines – I understand that this is strange but there are still some people committing the mistake of reading in Jordan – I overheard a young girl pleading with her mother, who was busy looking at fashion magazines, and asking her to buy a children's magazine. The mother wasn't very concerned and told her daughter that the magazine was for older children and that she couldn't read anyway. In reality, what the girl was asking for was a magazine with puzzles and solving riddles, which didn't need high reading skills and which the child, who appeared to be in Grade one or two, could have read easily.
The journalist in Wardam kicked in and before long he too was pleading the girl's case with her mother.
قررت أن اتدخل في الموقف لصالح الطفلة وتطفلت على هذا الحديث وقلت للأم بأن المجلة سهلة لأنني اشتريها لإبنتي ويمكن لطفلتها أن تقرأها. لاحظت أن الأم شعرت ببعض الضيق بينما كانت الطفلة سعيدة بهذا التدخل الخارجي الذي دعم وجهة نظرها ، فقامت المرأة بإضافة مجلة الطفلة إلى سلسلة المجلات الهادفة التي قامت بشرائها وربما كانت قد شتمتني ولم يعجبها تدخلي ولكنني كنت سعيدا بأنني ساهمت في تحقيق هدف شرعي ومطلوب للطفلة.
لا تعرف الأم على ما يبدو الميزة التي بين يديها فطفلتها تحب القراءة وهي بحاجة إلى تشجيع وهذه الخصائص غير موجودة في معظم الأطفال الذين يتجهون الآن إلى التلفزيون والفيديو والكمبيوتر للتسلية والإطلاع على ما هو غير مفيد ابدا في معظم الأحيان.
I decided to intervene on behalf of the girl and invited myself into the conversation. I told the mother that it was an easy magazine which I buy for my daughter and that it was possible for her daughter to read it too. I realised that the mother seemed annoyed, while the girl was happy for this external intervention, which backed her views. The mother then added the magazine to the basket which carried the useful magazines she wanted to purchase. She could have insulted me as my interference wasn't welcome, but I was happy to be able to help the young girl achieve her legitimate right.
This mother doesn't seem to realise the characteristics of what is in her hands – he daughter loves reading and is in need of encouragement. Not many children have this interest and they turn their attention to television, videos and the computer for entertainment and looking up things which are not beneficial to them in most cases.
Wardam laments the state of Arab children who hate reading and tells us how he tried to teach his daughter how to love books from a young age:
الكثير من الأطفال الذين أعرفهم في هذه السنوات (5 – 10) غير مهتمين أبدا بالقراءة وهذه هي سنوات تكوين الشخصية وهي السبب الرئيسي وراء عدم قدرتهم على عشق المطالعة وأحيانا مواجهة المشاكل في الدراسة. بما أنني شخص كنت دائما معروفا بأنني دودة كتب فقد حاولت أن أنقل لإبنتي بعضا من هذه الخصائص التي تجعلها تحب القراءة والمطالعة. يوميا هناك جلسة قراءة لمدة نصف ساعة وهناك دائما شراء لمجلات وقصص مصورة والتكوين التدريجي لمكتبة صغيرة في غرفتها مع تعلم احترام الكتب وتقديرها.
ومع أنه من المستحيل تقريبا مواجهة طغيان التلفاز والفيديو والكمبيوتر فإنه من الضروري إبقاء مكان للقراءة.
A lot of the children I know between the ages of five to 10 are not interested in reading at all. These are the formative years in shaping their personalities and not reading could create problems for them at school. And because I have always been known to be a bookworm, I tried to transfer this love of reading and learning to my daughter. I read with her for half an hour everyday and I buy her magazines and children's books. Gradually, she will have her own little library in her room and will learn how to respect books and appreciate them.
Children, argues Wardam, are smart in their nature and should be given due attention to use their brain cells in beneficial and creative activities.
الأطفال اذكياء بشكل خاص وإبنتي بدأت تستغل هذه الأمور لمصلحتها فهي تظهر اهتمامها بالقراءة في الوقت الذي يجب أن تكون فيه مهيئة للنوم ولكن لا توجد مشكلة في تأخير نصف ساعة طالما يمكن لهذه الطقوس أن تغرس عادة القراءة منذ الصغر. وفي الواقع فإن هناك تطورا كبيرا ومثيرا في طبيعة المطبوعات الخاصة بالأطفال وهي تقدم معرفة ممتازة أفضل بكثير من برامج التلفاز التجارية والمسلسلات المبنية على قصص الحزن وفقدان أفراد الأسرة بالنسبة للفتيات والضرب والصراع بالنسبة للأولاد. وأذكر أنه في معرض عمان للكتاب قضيت وقتا في زوايا كتب الأطفال أكثر من كتب الكبار وأعجبتني كثيرا المنشورات السورية واللبنانية بالذات والتي تتميز بطباعة فاخرة ومعرفة مهمة.
Children are especially intelligent and my daughter now uses this in her favour, as she demonstrates a surge of interest in reading at the time she should be getting ready to sleep. But I have no problem in her staying up for an extra half an hour, provided this will instil in her the habit of reading. In reality, there is also a quantum leap in the type of publications available for children and which provide better knowledge than the commercial television programmes, which feed girls stories about sadness and loss of family members and boys how to beat each other up and fight. I also remember how I spent more time at the children’ section at the Amman Book Fair than the other sectors, and how I was impressed with the Syrian and Lebanese publications, in particular their quality printing and the important information they contained.
The love of reading and education, concludes Wardam, are the only means to safeguard a child's future. He says:
المسألة إذن هي في تعويد الطفل على أهمية القراءة في جو منزلي يهتم بالمطالعة ويحترم الكتب ولا يوجد أبدا نقص في المطبوعات الخاصة للأطفال ، وان كانت العائلات الفقيرة تجد صعوبة في شراء الكتب الجيدة غالية الثمن فإن هذا يحتم ضرورة وجود مكتبات ومراكز تعليمية للأطفال في المحافظات والقرى والمناطق الأقل حظا في المدن لتسهيل حصول الأطفال في هذه المناطق على الكتب وتعلم القراءة خاصة وأن التعليم يبقى السلاح الأساسي للطبقات الفقيرة والمتوسطة في صراعها المستمر للحصول على حقوقها في هذا المجتمع ، والطفل الذي يحب القراءة منذ الصغر يستمر في هذه المزايا دائما ويتمكن من إبقاء مكان للكتاب والمجلة في حياته بالرغم من غزو الإنترنت والتلفزيون والهواتف الخلوي
The issue then is training a child to read in an environment at home which loves learning and respects books. There isn't a shortage of good books for children and if needy families find it difficult to purchase expensive books, then it is imperative for governorates, villages and areas which are less lucky than cities to have libraries and educational centres for children. This will enable youngsters to gain access to books and learn to read, especially when education remains the only weapon for the poor and middle classes in their continuous struggle to get their rights in this society. A child who loves reading from a young age, continues on their trend for life and is able to leave space for books and magazines in his life – despite the onslaught of the Internet, television and cell phones.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Kathmandu: 100 million mantras for Tibet · Global Voices
Jose Murilo

Haroldo Castro, at ‘Viajologia‘, is a Brazilian blogger covering events in Tibet with a few posts translated into English. The blog displays some videos and dramatic photos showing the bodies of victims.

author: Jose Murilo


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Kazakhstan: Opposition reacts to Aliyev trial · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Zhanna reports that as the trial over Rakhat Aliyev — former presidential son-in-law, former chief of special services and former media mogul — ends, the major opposition party of Kazakhstan “Azat” is quick to react to the revealed facts of treason and planned coup.


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Korea: Conflicts between Koreans in their 20s and in their 30-40s · Global Voices
Hyejin Kim

Recently, there has been a series of demonstrations that Korean college students have led against the increase in tuition fees. Presidents of college students’ associations got together and tried to hand the letter to President, Lee Myung Bak, directly. Some students have had their heads shaved. The rapid increase, 6.5-9% of  tuition fees this time became the target of major criticism from young people. They also criticize the new education policies that the President attempts to start.
An interesting part is how bloggers react to these demonstrations. While some bloggers completely support these demonstrations, others point out that there should be more stable changes of education. Moreover, this demonstration generates interesting arguments between the adult generation (people in their thirties and forties who spent their college lives during the peak time of the dictatorship) and those in their twenties.
Cistory is one of the netizens who emphasizes setting up a better alternative rather than focusing on the amount of the tuition fee. His post starts with the title, “College tuition fee is not expensive at all.”
대학등록금 절대 비싸지 않다.
70, 80년 대에 대학을 다닌 사람들은 알겠지만, 그 때는 ‘우골탑'이라는 말이 유행했었다. 지금은 아니지만 그 당시에는 대학은 학문을 연구하는 상아탑이라고들 말했었다. 물론 당시에도 취직을 위한 방편이었음은 거론할 필요도 없다. 우골탑은 소의 뼈를 쌓아서 만든 탑이란 뜻이다. 시골에서는 소 한마리가 전 재산이다시피 하던 때에 그 소를 팔아서 자식의 대학 등록금에 보태야 하던 것을 빗댄 말이다. 서민들에게는 그 만큼 많은 돈이 들었다는 의미다.
당시에는 고등학교 한 교실에 60여명 정도가 공부했었는데, 그 중에서 5 ~ 10명 정도가 대학에 진학한 걸로 기억한다. 평균 잡아서 15%라고 보면 될 것 같다.당시 등록금이 학기당 20만 ~ 40만원 정도였던 걸로 기억하는데, 그 액수는 그 나이의 대학생을 가진 가장이 상위 10%의 직장에 다닐 경우에 받던 1달 월급 정도의 액수였다. 지금 등록금이 한 학기에 500여 만원이라고 하는데, 지금도 상위 10%의 직장에 다니는 40대 말에서 50대 중반의 직장인이라면 월봉이 그 정도는 될 것이다.
지금 문제는 등록금이 비싼 것이 아니라, 예전에는 대학에 갈 수 없었던 계층이 모두 대학에 다니기 때문에 문제가 생긴 것으로 보인다. 고등학교 졸업생 수보다 대학 입학정원이 더 많다는 기사도 있지 않은가? 물론 전 국민이 대학교육을 받는 것은 좋은 일이다. 지금 문제는 학생들의 대학 등록금을 어떻게 해결해 주어야 하느냐하는 것이다. 유럽의 많은 나라처럼 정부에서 학비의 70 ~ 80%를 보조하든지, 2년 정도는 학자금을 장기 저리로 우선 지원한다든지 하는 논의를 국회에서 해야하는 것이다. 유럽에 비교해 보아도 1인당 교육비로서의 등록금 액수는 절대 많은 것은 아니다.
사안의 본질이 흐려지게 등록금이 비싸다고 하지 말고, 등록금을 어떻게 해결해 줄 것인가를 정치권에서 논의할 수 있도록 해주어야 한다.유럽의 많은 나라에서는 전국민 건강보험 개념처럼, 특별한 형태의 사립대학을 제외하고는 모든 학생이 정부로부터 등록금 혜택을 받는다.[…]
현재의 대학생들과 그들의 부모, 친지들의 절대적인 지지 하에 당선된 것이다. 그런데, 이제와서 등록금이 비싸다니, 정치인들로서는 왠 개 풀 뜯어먹는 소리인가 할 것이다. 반값 등록금? 정치인은 원래 거짓말을 입에 달고 사는 사람들이다. 대통령 임기 내에, 두배 등록금만 안되어도 감사하게 생각해야 할 것이다. 사실 대학교육의 질을 유럽 수준으로 올린다면, 우리 국민소득을 감안해서, 두배 등록금이 적정 액수의 학비일 것이다. 정부로 부터의 등록금 보조를 국회에서 논의할 수 있도록 국민들이, 특히 대학생들이, 먼저 정신을 차려야 할 것이다.[…]
People who went to college in the 1970s and 1980s would be familiar with the term, ‘Woo-gol-tap.’ Maybe not now anymore, but at that time university was regarded as an ivory-tower for learning. Of course, it is needless to mention that school was also a means for finding jobs at that time as well. Woo-gol-tap means a tower that was piled up by cow bones. In the country side, a cow was the biggest property of each household and the term meant to contribute the house cow to children’s college tuition fee. It means that the fee was that much for regular citizens.
At that time, 60 students studied in a classroom. Among them, 5-10 people were able to enter colleges. The average was about 15 percent. I remember the college tuition fee at that time was 200,000-400,000 won (200-400 US dollars) per semester. The amount was equal to a monthly salary for a breadwinner who works at companies with the highest 10 percent salaries. The current fee is 5 million won per semester. It means it is about a monthly salary for an employee in the late 40s or the middle 50s who work at 10 percent high salary companies.
The current problem is not just about the expensive tuition fee. In the past, the classes that were not able to go to college all go to college nowadays. There was a newspaper article showing that the number of high school graduates is less than the number of college freshmen. Of course, it is good that all people can get college education. But the current problem is how we can solve the problem of college tuition fee for students. Like European countries, the government can subsidize 70-80 percent tuition fee or support school expenses with low interest in the long term. Compared to other European countries, the amount of tuition fee per person is not that high.
Politicians should discuss how the issue of the tuition fee can be solved, not just comment that it is expensive. Many European countries treat the college tuition fee as national health insurance. Except several special private colleges, all students get benefits from the government. […]
The current president was elected with the absolute support of current college students, their parents, and relatives. But why do they blame politicians with one reason, the college tuition fee? Half price of tuition fee? Politicians always live with lies. Within this government term, we should appreciate it if the fee doesn’t go up two times more. As a matter of fact, if the quality of university education wants to be at the European level, two times more expensive tuition fee would be suitable in terms of our GDP. In order to let the National Assembly talk about the subsidy of the tuition fee from the government, the college students should pull themselves together.[…]
There are two interesting arguments about how the current college students and the 386 sede, who are in their thirties and forties, interpret this issue and political attitudes toward each other.
28일 있었던 대학생들의 등록금 시위를 보았다. 그들에게 지지를 보낸다. 과도한 등록금에 한숨짓는 부모들을 보고 있자니 맘이 아파 거리로 뛰쳐 나왔으리라. 더이상 참지 못하고 직접 행동을 감행했으리라고 생각하지만 못내 아쉬운 생각이 드는 것은 왜일까?
대학교 “지식의 상아탑”이라고 한때는 불리던 곳이다. 지식의 상아탑이란 이름이 왜 붙여졌겠는가? 한번 생각해 본 적 있는 요즘 대학생들이 있는가? 학교는 자신의 이익만을 위해서 행동하고 말하는 곳이 아니라는 사실은 알고 있는가? 너희들과 마찬가지로 대학 생활을 했던 너희의 선배들에게도 등록금은 지금과 비슷한 고통이었다. 하지만 그 선배들은 먼저 이땅의 민주주의와 사회에 만연한 부정부패를 척결하기 위해 먼저 일어섰다는 사실을 알고 있는가?
지금 너희들이 말하는 등록금 문제가 심각하다는 것도 잘 알겠다. 하지만 너희들이 등록금을 가지고 말할 자격이 있는지는 모르겠다. “지식의 상아탑”에서 예비 지식인이 되어야 할 너희들은 지난 대선에서 너희들이 욕하던 어른들과 똑같이 눈앞의 이득(일자리창출)만 보고 이명박을 선택했다. 또한 “꼬리곰탕 한그릇”에 꼬리를 잘라버린 이명박 특검에 침묵하였고, 너희들의 스승들 조차 반대하고 나선 대운하문제에도 침묵으로 일관해 오지 않았더냐?
그리고 삼성특검에 대해서는 어떻더냐? 마찬가지로 너희 자신의 이익을 고려한 침묵으로 일관하지 않았느냔 말이다. 물론 너희들의 의지에 의한 선택에 뭐라 참견하지 않겠다. 지금 너희들의 등록금 인상반대 투쟁이 잘못되었다는 것은 아니다. 그러나 너희들은 이미 정의보다는 개인이기주의와 자기 이득에 눈을 떠서 경제성장과 등록금 반값이라는 2MB의 공약에 부패와 비리 거짓말의 대명사인 그를 선택하지 않았느냐? 그러고서는 지금에와서야 속았다고 등록금인상을 들고 시위하는 너희들의 그 태도가 얄밉다.
자기의 이익만 챙기지 말아라! 너희들이 진정한 지식인이고 지성인이라면 행동하라!! 지금 속았다고 억울해하고 있다면, 진실이 조금이라도 보인다면, 행동에 옮겨라 4월9일 총선에서 너희들의 그 진심을 보이라는 말이다. 휴일이라고 놀러갈 생각하지말고 행동하라는 말이다.
그것이 어쩌면 거리에서 피켓들고 등록금 인상반대를 외치는 것보다 더 현실적인 방법인지 모른다. 너희들이 보는 것 처럼 등록금에 고생하시는 부모님을 위해 4월 9일 너희들이 깨어 있다는 것을 보여주어라. 또다시 눈앞에 달콤함에 현혹되지 말고…
College was called an “ivory-tower of knowledge”before. Why was it called that? Have some university students thought about it? The school is not the place where they can ask for their own benefits and speak out for their own sake. Do they know about that? The experienced who went through college life at that time also had to suffer from the tuition fee. But those people stood up for democracy of this land and fought against the corruption. I understand the problem of the tuition fee they are talking about now. But I don’t know whether they have the qualification of speaking out. You, who should be the preliminary intellectuals in ivory-towers, chose Lee Myung Bak in the Presidential Election, only thinking of profits in your presence (creating jobs). In addition, you were silent about special investigations for Lee Myung Bak’s corruption and of the grand canal construction issue which even your professors were against.
And how about the special investigation of Samsung? Of course, you guys were quiet, considering your own benefits. I am not going to intervene into your choices. I’m not saying your struggle against the increase on the tuition fee is wrong. But you turned yourselves toward selfishness and benefits rather than justice, and chose the person who supported economic growth and half-tuition fee, and continually lied. Then now you say you’re deceived and are against the increase on tuition fee. I hate your attitude.
Don’t think about your own benefits. If you’re truthful intellectuals and eggheads, carry on. If you’re angry and sad, and you can see the truth, please take action. In the general election on the 9th of April, show your sincerity. Don’t think you’ll go for a picnic. Take action. That might be a more realistic method rather than walking on the street and shouting opposition to increasing the tuition fee. As you can see parents suffering from the high tuition fee, show you’re awake on the 9th of April. Don’t be tricked by the sweetness again…
I extracted a post that talks about how people in their twenties think about the 386 sede and their perspectives toward the current college students.
글의 내용으로 미루어봐서는 386세대 선배님들이 쓰신것으로 보입니다. 사실 이런 글뿐만 아니라 예전부터 20대의 정치무관심을 질타하는 386세대들의 글은 많이 볼 수 있었죠. 그런데 막상 20대로서 이런 글 접하게 되면 화가 납니다. 물론 20대가 정치에 무관심하긴 합니다. 그러나 30-40대가 생각하는 그 정도로 막장이지는 않습니다.[…]요점은 그겁니다. ‘니들이 정치에 무관심해서 이명박 찍어놓고 이제와서 왜 이러냐. 정신차리고 총선 투표자 잘해라.’
근데 과연 이명박이 당선된 것이 20대의 탓일까요? 윗글에 보면 42개 대학 총학생 회장이 이명박 지지선언을 했다고 비난하는 부분이 있습니다. 근데 따져봅시다. 42개 대학의 대부분의 지방의 전문대였습니다. 지방 전문대의 특성상 대개 정원이 일반대학에 비해 작고, 총학생회의 그간 활동들도 정치적 영향력을 크게 발휘하는 곳이 없었습니다. 물론 몇 개 큰 대학들이 있긴 했습니다.[…] 그 대학 구성원들의 의견이 전혀 반영되지 않은 걸로 총학생회장 개인의 독단적 선언에 불과했습니다.[…] 20대의 투표성향을 보면 이명박에 대한 지지가 30대보다는 조금 높지만 40-60대 이상보다는 훨씬 작은 것을 알 수 있습니다. 되려 386세대가 이명박에 대한 지지율이 50%가 넘어갔습니다. 그리고 5후보중 상대적으로 진보적이고 개혁적이다라는 평가를 받았었던 문국현과 권영길에 대한 지지율은 오히려 가장 높습니다. 이 결과를 놓고 봤을때는 오히려 386세대들이 20대들에게 사과를 해야 정상인게죠.[…] 386세대가 독재정권하의 암울한 시기에 대학생활을 했다지만 적어도 그 당시 대학생은 엘리트 계층이었고, 특권의식이 존재했습니다. 그리고 취업에 대한 부담도 적었습니다. 하지만 지금 세대는 대학을 안들어가면 낙오하기에 당연스럽게 대학에 갈 것을 강요받은 세대이자 대학을 졸업해도 취직에 희망이 없는 세대입니다. 당장 대학부터 먹고 살 문제를 걱정해야 하는 시대가 된 것입니다.
40대까지도 사회운동하시는 선배들이 이런 말을 많이 하십니다. 가정을 꾸리게 되면 자기 말고 돌보아야 할 사람들이 생겨서 그때 가장 운동에 대한 고민이 많이 든다고요. 물론 그러한 고민으로 운동을 그만둔 386세대, 이해합니다. 학생운동 치열하게 했다는 것에 대해 인정하고, 그러한 삶을 평생 가져가지 못한 것에 대해서도 이해합니다. 그러나 40대에 들어서냐 해야 할 고민을 대학초입부터 하고 있다는 것 역시 알아두셨으면 합니다. 입학과 동시에 공무원 시험, 취업준비에 매달릴 수 밖에 없는 현실은 지금의 대학생들이 만든게 아닙니다. 그 이전의 기성세대들이 88만원 세대들에게 지어준 짐인 것입니다.[…]
20대를 철부지 꼬마들로 봐주시진 말 것을 정중하게 부탁드립니다. 나름의 생각을 가지고 판단할 수 있는 성인입니다. 정치에 무관심한 학생도 있고, 나라가 어찌되든 자기 한 몸 먼저 생각하는 친구들도 많습니다. 그러나 그런 사람들은 30대에도 있고, 40에도 있습니다. 20대라고 정치에 무관심하다고 신랄하게 비판하는 것… 지나치면 되려 정치를 신물나게 만들 수 있는 것입니다.
But was Lee Myung Bak selected because of people in their twenties? According to the post, presidents of 42 college students’ associations announced the support for Lee Myung Bak. But most of them were vocational colleges in the countryside. Their characteristics are small numbers compared with universities and the activities of the students’ associations never influenced politics. Of course, there were several big universities[…] But it was the student presidents’ own opinions, not other students’ opinions.[…] Looking at the characteristics of the people in their twenties’ votes, the number supporting Lee Myung Bak is higher than the 30s, but lower than the 40-60s. Rather, the ratio that the 386 sede supports Lee Myung bak is more than 50 percent. And the votes of those in their twenties that support Moon Kook Hyun and Kwon Young Kil who were progressive and reformative were much higher than any other generations. Looking at this result, the 386 sede should apologize to those in their 20s.[…] Even though the 386 sede spent their college lives in the dark period of dictatorship, the university students at that time were at least regarded as the elite and had some previledges. But the current generation is forced to go to college not in order to be losers in society, but it doesn’t give a promise to be employed after the graduation. We have to worry about how to make living from the beginning of our campus lives.
People who still do citizen activities in their 40s say this a lot. If they start their own families, they have to take care of others. That moment is the hardest time whether they have to continue the activities or not. Of course, I understand the 386 sede who gave up the activities. I acknowledge they went through student activities really hard.
However, I hope that they understand what they were worried when they are in the 40s are what we have to worry as soon as we step in colleges. As soon as we enter college, it is the reality that we have to stick to prepare civil service examinations and other tests for obtaining jobs. This reality is not what we made. It is the burden that the previous generations passed to us.[…] I ask them politely not to call people in their twenties immature kids. We are adults who can think and judge. There are students who are indifferent about politics and the nation. There are friends who think about themselves. But those people can be found in the thirties and forties. To criticize those in their twenties as being indifferent about politics… If the criticism is way too much, it could rather make them be sick of politics.

author: Hyejin Kim


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Kuwait: Bloggers to Play Leading Role in Elections · Global Voices
Abdullatif AlOmar

It's already Summer in Kuwait, where temperatures peaked 42 degrees Celsius. But what's also heating up in the race to the Parliamentary elections, scheduled for May 17.
Intlxpatr explains the weather in the photo above and says:
106°F / 42°C and Hot and DUSTY. This is what it looks like at 3:30 PM:
The photo is not altered in any way. The orangey-yellow color is the real color of the sky. Totally weird. Big huge rolling waves coming in, good weekend to go shelling!
Q80 Saracen over at Kuwait The Panic Button explains how he thinks most Kuwaitis vote. He says:
For those few Kuwaitis out there who don't know how they're going to vote, there usually is a self-imposed criterion that one tries to follow. It differs from person to person, and the range that it stretches is in itself humorous.
Meanwhile, Kuwaiti bloggers have joined hands in a new blog which aims to provide an unbiased view and news on the elections.
At the blog, 5-q8, Forzaq8 asks a valid question:
و لكن السؤال الذى ينبغى طرحه ما الثمن ؟
عندما تنزل انتخابات و تصرف مبلغا يفوق الــ 30 ألف دينار
( هناك مصادر تتحدث عن ارقام بالملايين ) أليس من واجبنا ان نسأل لماذا هو مستعد ان يلقى بكل هذا المبلغ ؟
But the question we should be asking is: “At what price ?”
When you enter the elections and spend over KD30,000 (there are other sources put this figure in millions), isn't it our duty to ask why is this candidate ready to spend all that money ?
What is the return that the candidate expects when he spends thousands on his campaign ? And if he is keen on ensuring Kuwait's interest and he has extra cash lying around, why doesn't he donate it for a project to help Kuwait better than just talk ?
EXzombie, also at 5-q8, talks about the role bloggers will play in the elections and writes:
In the light of the Press and advertising embargo imposed on the candidates, modern mass communications have become important to garner the votes of the largest number of constituents. This is why a number of candidates are relying on the easiest and fastest growing used by youth and that is blogs. Bloggers will now come under the radar after the media and community's realisation of their role and importance at such critical times in the lives of candidates. This is why everyone is hoping that the bloggers will fulfil what they want and recruit enough voters to guarantee them a seat in parliament. Although a few candidates have started their own satellite channels, which are solely dedicated to promote certain candidates and their agendas, I expect blogging to be the moving force in promoting candidates and their election programmes among a large segment of society, including youth and elderly people. In addition, a number of bloggers have been invited to take part in those channels as presenters and correspondents, and 5-q8 has noted that a few of them have indeed accepted positions.
And while we're on the topic of the elections, Bint Alshamiya wrote this beautiful article in her blog about the right of women to vote – and make up their own minds.
Picture Credit Intlxpatr

author: Abdullatif AlOmar


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Kyrgyzstan: Pharmaceutical companies and women’s health · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

GenderStan reports on the situation in health sector – particularly in the gynecology services – in Kyrgyzstan, telling about low qualification of doctors and widespread corruption as well.


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Mideast Youth: Interview with Kurdish Student · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini blogger Esra'a, at Mideast Youth, interviews a Kurdish student in this podcast which discusses the Kurdish situation and the hypocrisy of mainstream media towards their cause.


text:
Nepal: Royal Speak · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Nepali Netbook on royalty-speak and the influence of India on politics in Nepal.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Nigeria: Nollywood movie, Anini · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Oluniyi reviews Nollywood movie, Anini: “I had the opportunity to watch a Nollywood (Nigerian movie industry) action thriller movie directed by Fred Amata on Africa Magic yesterday, titled: Anini. The movie was released in 2005 and features Nollywood stars like Bimbo Akintola, Fred Amata, Jeta Amata, Segun Arinze, Chidi Mokeme, Ashley Nwosu among many others…”


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Pakistan: Humble beginnings · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

KO has a tongue-in-cheek post on the supposed humble beginnings of Pakistani politicians.


text:
Pakistan: On bombs and citizens · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

All Things Pakistan on the mayhem of suicide bombers, the government's supposed cluelessness and the role of media.


text:
Paraguay: Senator Candidates Suspected of Corruption · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Zoopolítica [es] thinks it is rather unfortunate that 15 of the top 20 candidates for senator for the ANR party in Paraguay have been suspected of being involved with cases of corruption.


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Peru: Sidewalks Off Limits · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Gabriela of Seis de Enero [es] writes about her love of walking through the streets of Lima, which lately has been made more difficult due to the number of construction projects that impede the sidewalks.


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Romania: NATO Summit and Bucharest Traffic  · Global Voices
Stan Faryna

Echoing the message of the Romanian media, Radu Rizea of Hotnews.ro wrote this on March 28:
The already impossible traffic in Bucharest will become purely hellish during the NATO Summit…
But it looks like the media got it wrong again.
Nicole, a Romanian professional working in downtown Bucharest, reported this (RUM) on her blog, Nicole Incorporated: Made in Romania, today:
Residents and businesses feared the worst traffic ever because of the NATO summit. […] It turns out that traffic wasn't bad. After listening to the discouraging morning traffic report on the radio, I was surprised to find traffic was lighter than usual (like a quiet Sunday) – maybe since so many people were afraid of the traffic and stayed home or went on holiday.
[…]
I have overcome the fears inspired by the media lies. I'm not going to listen to the news anymore. Who would?

author: Stan Faryna


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Romania: NATO Summit & Civil Rights · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Stan Faryna writes at length about the NATO Summit, which has opened in Romania's capital today, and reviews reactions in the Romanian citizen media: “As the minutes ticks closer to the start of today’s NATO Summit in Bucharest, some Romanian bloggers question the zeal of their leaders in ensuring there is neither public protest nor questions to the value of NATO for Romania or other European states – neither in Bucharest nor Romania in general.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Romania: NATO Summit in Bucharest · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Mihnea Dumitru announces his plans to leave the city for the duration of the NATO Summit in Bucharest, which begins today: “In a perfect show of support for my government and its intentions to transform the capital into a no-man’s land where nothing can possibly go wrong, I have decided to flee to the mountainside, where I should be enjoying relative peace and calm with my friends. […] My decision primarly rests on the treatment of six German nationals received over at one of our border check-points. Without any sort of reason or motivation, they were taken into custody for 19 hours, searched both inside and out, found to be carrying nothing wrong short of a few anti-NATO posters and urban survival literature, declared dangerous and then summarily sent back to where they came from.”