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Lebanon: First Threatened Voice · Global Voices
Layal Al Khatib

Lebanon has been known and envied in the MENA region for its free cyberspace. Well not anymore since March has marked Lebanon's first cyber censhorship incident.
On March 15, Lebanese blogger and journalist Khodor Salameh or “jou3an“(Hungry in Arabic) wrote a post[Ar] on his blog where he criticized the Lebanese President Michel Suleiman. A few days later, he was called for an interrogation by the Lebanese security forces, where they threatened him with being prosecuted for defamation if he doesn't change his tone, close the blog or write poetry exclusively.
Lebanese Blogger and Journalist Khodor Salameh(aka Jou3an)
The Lebanese bloggers were united, despite their opposite political opinions, and showed their support to Khodor -whether they agreed with what he said or not. Here are their reactions below:
Hrammal supported[Ar] Khodor by saying “We are all Khodor”:
Mowatin Shahhath(or a beggar citizen) started his post[Ar] by quoting the Lebanese constitution which clearly preserves the right of free speech for Lebanese citizens. He added:
Ninar also showed his support in his post[Ar], where he addressed the officials saying:
Hashemite accused the Lebanese government of being a rotten system. He said[Ar]:
Liliane noticed how the date Khodor was interrogated, coincided with the March18 campaign, (which was born after an Iranian blogger “Omid Reza Mir Sayafi” died in prison). She added:
Regardless of whether I agree with the fellow blogger Khodor, all I can say is, I hope what was my pride two weeks ago, remains my pride and doesn't fall into the trap of a mindless, oppressive, unjust and illogical system.
On the other hand, Lebanese blogger Rany disagreed with what Khodor said but still refused the threat. He said in his latest post The lettuce theory“:
Although I actually disagree with the blogger, this way of dealing with him or any other blogger is totally refused and totally useless, and to whoever decided to investigate with the blogger about what he mentioned I would like to say come on grow up, he's just a guy writing on his blog why are you making a fuss out of it? Lots of people agree with him and lots of others disagree that's the reality of Lebanon and you can't change that by making him change his tone.
Blogger and journalist “Hanibaael“, published an official announcement[Ar] on behalf of the Lebanese Bloggers Group supporting Khodor:
Layal was disappointed that Lebanon has joined the country list at said:
Lebanon, Welcome to Threatened Voices!
Furthermore, Egyptian blogger Zeinobia was in complete shock when she heard the news. She said:
Is this new Lebanon !!?? Is the “Freedom, sovereignty and independence” new Lebanon !!?? It is a shock , a real shock !!??
Is this the start of cyber censhorship in Lebanon or just a single incident? Follow Lebanon's entry on Threatened Voices to remain updated.

author: Layal Al Khatib


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Lebanon: Internet speed up soon  · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Lebanese Inner Circle reports on the news that fiber optics will soon be utilized in Lebanon to provide easier international calls as well as an increase in internet speeds by 10 to 20 per cent.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Moussa Bashir


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Lebanon: Organizing Blogging · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Hanibaael posts an article in Arabic in which the blogger gives a short account of the history of blogging in Lebanon and the current attempt to organize Lebanese bloggers into formal group called “Lebloggers”.


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Lebanon: Paganism and Occultism · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Hanibaael writes a lengthy Arabic post, with testimonies, about the belief and  practice of paganism and occultism in Lebanon.


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Lebanon: Salwa against sexual harassment · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Lebanese Liliane reports on IndyACT's launching of a new comic campaign – “The Adventures of Salwa” – which aims to combat all forms of sexual harassment and abuse against children, girls, and women, especially after incidence have increased drastically.


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Lebanon: The Lebanese Experiment · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Ibrahim Arab writes an Arabic post in which he recounts his warning to an Iraqi television program that replicating the Lebanese type of elections and power sharing in Iraq is not good at all.


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Morocco: Naoufel’s Experience with Censorship Across Borders · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

Naoufel Chaara is a talented Moroccan blogger. His website [Ar] has been recently nominated for the Deutsche Welle's 2010 BOBs international award in the Best Arabic Blog category. Naoufel's usually caustic views on people and power in his country and the Arab world, often pack a strong punch with his pretty sizable readership.
One would expect that a dissenting voice is mainly threatened by local power's systems of censorship, but Naoufel's surprise was so big when he learned that his blog was actually banned outside of his country's frontiers.
In the following short interview, the blogger explains how he came to know about the ban and if this impacts on his writings.
Can you introduce your blog and the kind of topics you cover?
حسنا ..في مدونتي اكتب عن كل شيء..عن الديمقراطية الغائبة..عن حقوق الانسان التي لم نجدها بعد و عن يوميات الوطن العربي..باختصار عن وجهة نظري في الاحداث التي تقع.
How did you learn that your website was blocked in some Arab countries?
كنت اتحدث مع الزميلة لينا بن مهني من تونس حول حجب مدونتها، بعدها اخبرتني ان مدونتي محجوبة هناك، في اليوم التالي كنت ادعوا بعض الأصدقاء الى التصويت على مدونتي في جائزة البوبز، حيث تأهلت الى المرحلة النهائية..عندها سأعلم ان المدونة حجبت في السعودية و الامارات.
How do you explain the censorship?
في تونس الأمر بديهي، كل تضامن مع نشطاء حقوق الانسان هناك يؤدي الى المنع..السعودية تفعل نفس الامر مع من تعتبرهم أصوات علمانية..الامارات هي علامة الاستفهام و لا أدري لماذا حجبت مدونتي هناك.
What was the reaction of your blog's readers?
الأراء اجتمعت حول أن حجب المدونة في دول تقيد حرية التعبير و توضع دائما في أسفل ترتيب حقوق الانسان هو نيشان للمدونة
Will this ban influence the way you write on your blog?
قطعا لا..أسلوبي و كتاباتي وجدوا قبل المدونة..حجبها هناك لا يعني لي شيئا سوى ضياع قراء محتملين للمدونة
Are there ways to circumvent this censorship?
خبرتي بالأمور التقنية ضحلة للغاية..و لا أدري فعلا ان وجدت طرق .للالتفاف حول هكذا حجب
Any final thoughts?
فقط شكري لمن راسلوني أو من عبروا لي عن مساندتهم..
* This post also appears in Global Voices Advocacy.

author: Hisham Almiraat


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Pakistan: Constitutional Reform · Global Voices
Rezwan

Raza Rumi at Pak Tea House congratulates the signing of the draft 18th amendment of the constitution of Pakistan, which will scrap the changes done by the previous dictators.

author: Rezwan


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Piola: Latin American Valleys in Web Conference · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Last Monday March 29th, the Pio.la project, a platform for online web conferences had the first Latin American Valley web conference, where organizers from the different “Valleys” let everyone else know how their online communities – made up of developers, designers, entrepreneurs and others who are helping build the local web-  are doing.  The conferences, most of them in Spanish, can be viewed on their site.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Qatar: Expats outraged by plans to scrap visa-on-arrival policy · Global Voices
Shabina Khatri

Starting May 1, visitors from dozens of countries must apply for visas before traveling to Qatar instead of obtaining them at the airport (Photo by Jamie Sanford)
Rumors are swirling following a local news report that Qatar has made plans to scrap its visa-on-arrival policy for dozens of nations.
According to the Gulf Times, the change, to take effect May 1, will require nationals of 33 European, Western and Asian countries to obtain visas before arriving in Qatar by contacting the Qatari embassies in their home countries.
The United States, British and French embassies in Doha have confirmed that their nations are among those affected by the change, but officials from other countries said they are still making inquiries.
The news was greeted with dismay by many Doha residents on Twitter.
Some bloggers here said they suspected that the change was spurred on by “reciprocity” – a tit for tat response to countries that require Qatari nationals to apply for visas before arrival.
Marjorie in Qatar said:
This is part of Qatar's new “reciprocity” kick. A few months ago they switched to a reciprocity system for driver's licenses: American licenses can't be automatically converted to Qatari ones, because the US doesn't automatically convert Qatari licenses.
Others mused that it was Qatar's way of securing its borders following the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in January. He is suspected to have been killed by men holding falsified European and British passports. Dubai blames Israel's national intelligence agency Mossad for the slaying.
On Twitter, ibnkakfa said:
Linked to Mossad's Dubai murder?
On the popular online forum Qatar Living, where a post about the policy change generated more than 100 comments,Bleu said:
Seriously, this could be a temporary measure after what happened in Dubai… It could be anything.
genesis added:
i agree with bleu in this being a national security measure. Again, Qatar is frequently visited by Iranian, syrian & Hamas officials.
canarybird theorized a profit motive:
I don't think that this is an issue of how many expatriates live and work here, but it will certainly affect the whole economy and many expat wives who don't have visas make short term visa runs, and many on short business trips to. It will certainly make a whole in the money making business of visa runs.
Whatever the reason, most agree that the additional paperwork required to visit Qatar and the lack of Qatari embassies in many nations are likely to hurt the country's efforts to boost tourism.
QL commentator fubar said:
The Tourism Authority must be overjoyed by this news.
If you were a multinational company arranging a conference for 1000 high spending delegates from Western countries, like the recent CITES conference, or a similar UN conference, would you come to Qatar, where almost everyone will need to apply for a visa before travelling, or go to Dubai?
Others said they thought the move brought fairness to the system.
UkEngQatar said:
Qatari Nationals have to have a visa beforehand before visiting Britain. So if that is the case then what Qatar has done is fair. We Brits and other European and US nationals will just have to get used to it.
ace.auteur said:
Fair deal! Getting a US/UK visa is a nightmare for many. Why should it be easy for the “33”? By any means it is still going to be a whole lot simpler than standard US/UK visa processes. Reciprocity is not just fair but the right thing to do.
Still, those living far from family and friends worry that the change will make it even more difficult to keep in touch.
Mandilulur said:
I know half a dozen Brits who are working for international companies here in the Gulf (based in Qatar) with business visas. Their wives make visa runs to Bahrain monthly. Evidently no more. They will leave. Are these the kinds of ex-pats you want to see gone? The really talented ex-pats will be able to find a job anywhere! … Sometimes I feel like a lobster in a pot – when will the discomfort of decisions such as these outweigh my love for Qatar? I can tell you one thing – it certainly affects what I tell prospective professionals thinking of coming to Doha.

author: Shabina Khatri


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Russia: “A Metaphor for Shock” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Natalia Antonova, currently in Moscow, writes about the March 29 subway blasts at GlobalComment: “On days like today, tragedy does not remain localized. It spreads outward, from the epicenter. Beside the dead, there are the wounded. Beside the dead and the wounded, there are the traumatized. And then there are the friends and relatives of the dead, and wounded, and traumatized. Traffic is at a standstill near the affected areas right now, like a metaphor for shock.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: “A Perfect Target” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Irina Filatova writes at the Guardian's Comment is Free that the tough measures and increased xenophobia that are likely to follow the March 29 Moscow subway bombings will not “make Moscow underground safer.”


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Russia: LJ Opinion Poll on Subway Blasts · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

520 bloggers responded to this LiveJournal opinion poll question (RUS) on March 29-31: “Who could be behind the Moscow subway blasts?” 11% blame “terrorists acting on orders from Western special services,” 16% point at “terrorists acting on religious grounds,” 33% think “Russian special services” are behind the attacks, and 40% of the respondents “feel sorry for the people, and the rest doesn't matter.”


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Russia: “March Elegy” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Anna Akhmatova's poem and some memories of the Moscow subway and the Park Kultury station where the second of the two March 29 blasts occurred – at Poemless: “In the Metro, you could buy a puppy and take the puppy to the vet, have its prescriptions filled, buy some lingerie and some guns, grab nachos from Taco Bell, see a performance, see fine art, see people die and be born, have your hair done, watch fixed, shoes re-soled… The possibilities in Moscow Metro were only limited by one’s imagination. In this way it was like a mini-Moscow. But warmer.”


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Russia: “Moscow Calm – Before the Storm” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At GlobalPost, Miriam Elder reports from Moscow on the March 29 subway attacks: “It's this lack of information that helps breed the conspiracy theories that are so rife. In the U.S., we're used to nonstop programming when the slightest (or largest) thing goes wrong. Here, state-run television ran its regular programming of soap operas, nature shows, variety shows and badly translated American films.”


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Russia: “Russian Roulette” Metro · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

English Man In Moscow reacts to the March 29 subway blasts: “For the love of god, is no where safe from terrorists? Today, many people were killed. I certainly won't be taking my child on the metro anywhere, ever again for the rest of my time here in Moscow.”


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Russia: “Technology Failed Many” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Svetlana Gladkova of Profy writes about her failed attempts to locate a Moscow friend via various popular communication tools following the March 29 subway attacks: “In this tightly interconnected world we all depend a lot on communication tools like cell phones, email, IMs, and social networks and when such tools don’t behave as expected (and it is not surprising when they don’t in extreme conditions), we are all lost without solid chances of getting the information we need the most.”


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: The Law is an Ass?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I was pleasantly surprised to learn that over the weekend a ‘Donkey Wedding’ was held in a North Leeward village…the groom was forced to make an honest ‘lady’ of the buxom donkey with whom he allegedly had sexual relations.  Some friends have scoffed at it calling it village silliness”: St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Abeni suggests that “it is really society's way of heaping scorn on persons who had committed distasteful acts.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Taiwan: “Slideophilia” · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

Professor Chih-Hao Tsai talks about the weird but common phenomena he observed in Taiwan:”Slideophilia“. He concludes that not only the design of a speech rooms, the video-cam that is always focusing on the slides, the audience that are reading printed slides at their hands, but also “many speakers themselves are slideophilia who rather sacrifice themselves to the mighty god of slides and hide at the dark corner”.(zh)

author: Portnoy Zheng


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Trinidad & Tobago: Zoo Lander  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I am always hesitant to go to a zoo, since I always feel that animals should be kept on reserves if not in their natural habitat. That being said, I liked the way that this zoo used the natural landscape, working around the trees and hills to create the enclosures and pathways”: MEP Caribbean Publishers pays a visit to Trinidad's Emperor Valley Zoo.


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Tunisia: Tunisian Bloggers Speak in English · Global Voices
Lina Ben Mhenni

Tunisian bloggers used to  avoid expressing themselves in English (the third language in the country), writing in Arabic (sometimes in Tunisian dialect) or French instead. This has, in some way, limited their foreign audience and hindered the access to their thoughts and opinions to non-Arabic and non-French speakers. But lately some bloggers are using English in their posts. Here's a look at some of the blogs in English.
In his post entitled:AlJazeera.net inaccessible in Tunisia , Amin Zayani exposes the controversial censorship of AlJazeera.net: Tunisians can watch Al Jazeera freely whereas the website is censored. He writes:
You switch on your TV and satellite receiver in Tunisia and you can watch Aljazeera, Aljazeera English, Aljazeera Children, Aljazeera Documentary, Aljazeera Live, Aljazeera Sport all day.
But you type the web address in your browser and you can not access it. Strange, isn't it?
Under the title: Tilikum The Killer Whale, Foetus.me jotted down a small story about freedom:
Remind ‘em who you are. Remind ‘em how free and wild you really are. These people forgot you’re the apex predator of the oceans. Don’t bear with them, they dreamed of power, wicked as they see it, food related and cruel. Tell them that true power is to respect others freedom and build up on that. Show them that they are responsible and accountable. Nature will prevail my friend.
Amor blogging his world wrote a post about China's new rules concerning the  media coverage of the conflict with Google:
A new set of rules and instructions from the Chinese government itself suppresses China media outlets from reporting almost anything about Google’s recent pull out from China.
The instructions, nabbed by China Digital Times, outline a series of rather disturbing edicts to media outlets that are covering the Google story. While this is nothing new, the Chinese government’s broad and suppressive mandates are still striking.
Sam’ s World gives us his take on the First Arab Internet Conference, held in Beirut recently. He says:
For the first time, the Arab web industry has its conference bringing together leaders from across the MENA, Europe and Silicon Valley to discuss cutting-edge trends and emerging opportunities.
How to settle up your e-business or manage/promote your e-commerce? Online advertising, social media, entrepreneurship, startups, emerging opportunities … These and more will be discussed during the 2 days Arabnet 2010 event (March 25 & 26)
Sula7fet, an English language student and  a newcomer to  the Tunisian blogosphere shared with us  extracts from a book he read :
The Paranoid Style in American Politics by Richard Hoftasadter , when reading the title I first thought that the issue s discussed in the book will be mainly addressed  to the American reader , I remember taht i took a moment , hesitated for a while , and then asked how much ?
Hopefully, this new linguistic  orientation towards the use of the English language, will give the Tunisian blogosphere a new  fresh breath and will introduce it to readers from all over the world.

author: Lina Ben Mhenni


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Vietnam: Online attacks vs critics · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Google and McAfee reported that cyberattacks targeting critics of bauxite mining in Vietnam could be coming from forces which are close to the government of Vietnam.

author: Mong Palatino


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Bangladesh: Kantha Artist And An Accidental Saint · Global Voices
Rezwan

Anil Advani introduces to us Surayia Rahman, a self-trained Kantha artist from Bangladesh. She “guided hundreds of poor women in Bangladesh to create masterworks – exquisitely embroidered tapestries that have been gifted to dignitaries and are admired in collections throughout the world.”


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Bhutan: Teachers Abusing Students · Global Voices
Rezwan

Journalist and blogger Dipika at On The Job writes about corporal punishments practiced by teachers in Bhutan and the embarrassment the students receive publicly causing them emotional trauma.


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Egypt: Excellent Cat Meows for President Mubarak · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

Mo-ha-med posted a note about Mumtaz El Qott’s article where he mentioned that Egyptians want to get visas to Germany to wish President Mubarak a speedy recovery after his surgery.
Mo-ha-med writes:
Mumtaz El Qott is editor-in-chief of government newspaper Al-Akhbar. Akhbar once used to have a little bit of an edge over Al-Ahram – a few of their columnists did veer away from the party line at times – but now it's just a second-tier state propaganda medium.
Mr El Qott – whose first name means  “Excellent” and his last “the cat”, wrote an incredibly ridiculous  article  – entitled ‘Thank God you're well’. The Twittersphere found it  so hilarious that a new hastag was created: #ExcellentNawNaw.
The Wiki entry – Screen shot by Mo-ha-med
Someone also created a  wiki page for Mr The Cat and Mo-ha-med posted a screen shot in case the article is removed and linked it to the Facebook group!

author: Marwa Rakha


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Indonesia: Sony versus Sony · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Last month, Sony Arianto Kurniawan or Sony AK from Mega Kuningan, Jakarta in Indonesia was threatened with a trademark infringement lawsuit by Japan’s Sony Corporation if he does not close his personal website whose domain name is www.sony-ak.com.
Thankfully, Sony the person was supported by the online community and Sony the corporation finally realized the folly of pursuing the case. Sony Corp. has since then dropped the charge and has already apologized to the blogger.
The personal website of Sony AK was established in 2003 and it was awarded the best website in educational category for 2003, 2004 and 2006 by PC Magazine Indonesia.
Multibrand reminds Sony Corp. that the website of Sony AK provides only free information to the public and does not sell anything
In my humble opinion, Sony Corp. have been over confident in making the said demand, because protection given by trademark registration is limited to certain types/kinds of products covered by said trademark.
In this case, Sony Corp. is a manufacturer of electronics products, whereas the website: www.sony-ak.com is only a personal website of its owner that provides free information.
talking points affirms the popularity of Sony AK’s website in the past six years
This suit has upset many Indonesian onliners, especially those who have been blogging and are into IT for several years. Sony AK’s site has been known for being the knowledge sharing center for IT enthusiasts in Indonesia, and has been up for approximately 6 years.
This issue has generated an intense discussion in the Indonesian blogosphere and a facebook support group for Sony AK – ‘Sony — don't take away my friend's name’ – quickly attracted thousands of members.
Website of Sony AK
Whispurr's Blog points out that there are many Indonesians named Sony
And mind you again, there are thousands of people here in Indonesia with the name Sony. I have some friends with the name Sony, one of Indonesian Badminton star is SONY DWI KUNCORO, one of the most famous actor in Indonesia is SONY TULUNG.
Well then SONY CORPORATION, why don’t you sue those guys and thousands of Mothers who named their child with SONY.
finally woken wonders whteher Apple Inc. would sue actress Gwyneth Paltrow for naming her daughter Apple
Maybe Apple Inc. should sue Gwyneth Paltrow for naming her daughter Apple as she might have a blog called apple too in the future…
Seriously this is beyond ridiculous.
Colson describes the issue as a battle between David and Goliath
The sympathy naturally is with David (AK) in his fight against Goliath (Corp). Actually it is bizarre if an innocent citizen uses a name which remotely is the same as the one of a multinational, in a strictly personal context, is being sued for that reason only.
Yet I'm afraid Goliath has a point here – because the legal system is to a large extent the product of the interests of the Goliaths. And because the legal power Goliath is able to organizie is n-th time as huge as the limited funds a David has at his disposal.
Before the withdrawal of the case, bloggers were planning to launch a boycott campaign against Sony Corp. Yari NK is happy with the decision of the firm to drop the case
It is wise for Sony Corp. to drop the claim since it does not make sense in almost any way that one has to stop using his own name for his personal non-commercial site.
By dropping the claim, Sony wouldn't hit the negative consequences in public opinion that, at worst, could lead to boycotting its products by the Indonesian public that backed Sony AK becuase they know that Sony AK had nothing but good intentions when he initially set up his blog or site and he is not eating into Sony Corp's profits….


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Japan: Cosplay carnival · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The Englishman posts pictures of a cosplay carnival in Osaka.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Malaysia: New Economic Model · Global Voices
Jude Chia

After months of creating anticipation for the ambitious New Economic Model (NEM), Malaysia's Prime Minister, Najib finally unveiled the first part of the plan detailing the future economic direction. It is a major development following a series of selective liberalization measures introduced by Najib since he became the Prime Minister in 2009, constantly projected to be eloquently driving a strong message in gradual economic liberalization and overhaul of affirmative action for ethnic Malay majority in order to make the country more competitive.
The effort is much lauded especially by policy makers in mainstream press, but the citizen media abounds with skepticism. Meanwhile Najib acknowledged the need to be more transparent about the timeline and implementation plan which will be announced later of the year. So the questions are still centered on two key aspects: Has the government finally gathered enough political will to change? Are there enough change agents to take up the ambitious initiative other than the PM?
South East Asian economies have always been characterized by large-state corporations, Najib has made a direct challenge to call for private-sector driven economy and reduce political patronage. How many will embrace such ideas? As Din Merican pointed out, Malaysia needs the drive of SMEs and entrepreneurs to turn this nation into high-income developed country.
These are the people who have been excluded from participation simply because they only have technical skills but no patronage and no intimate relationship with powerful decision makers.
Controversial writer, Raja Petra Kamarudin gave a colorful critique in Shakespearean metaphors, doubting the policy change will immediately constitute the change of heart of key implementers.
The New Economic Policy (NEP) has transformed into the National Economic Policy and now the National Economic Model. It is certainly a change of clothes. But is the wearer of the clothes the same? If so then it would be old wine in a new bottle.
The affirmative action, NEP has always been at the heart of debate. Najib promised to overhaul it into need-based rather than race-based. But some still reserve doubts about it. As Hafiz Noor Shams said:
Somewhere in the speech, the term market-friendly affirmative action appeared. I am not quite bought by that term. I rather hear the abolition of affirmative action but I am willing to give ground that need-based is far better than race-based affirmative action.
In a collection of interviews of economic policy experts, Stephanie  Sta Maria highlighted polarized opinions on NEM. Professor Lim Teck Ghee from the Centre of  Policy Initiatives described the framework as pure  rhetoric.
The long-term time frame of the NEM is an excuse for inaction or delaying  tactics. NEM has no short-term targets and I think it will suffer the  same fate as the other ambitious policies before it.
University Malaya's Professor Edmund Terence Gomez  also delivered a blunt critique that NEM is a  fresh coat of gloss on old ideas.
Najib says that the affirmative action policy will now be need-based instead  of race-based. But the aspects of its transparency and  market-friendliness are clearly targeted at Bumiputeras (Ethnic Malays). And this is no  different from the NEP.
Without a track record in making tough political choices and implementing changes, there is little surprise about the level of skepticism on NEM. While the intent of reform is clear but the end result is not, the job has just begun for the coalition government.  Like balajoe27 articulated:
The fact is NEM is still in its infant stage – there are good items under the NEM but whether it turns out to be another one-sided policy by another name or it can be implemented effectively, it will remain to be seen.
Raja Petra Kamarudin

author: Jude Chia


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Myanmar: April Fool Blood Donation · Global Voices
tan

July Dream wrote about a blood donation drive organized on April Fool's Day in Myanmar.

author: tan


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Nepal: Too Much Negativity In Media · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ujjwal Acharya at The Radiant Star complains about the negativity in the print media of Nepal. The blogger comments: “one of the constructive roles that media could easily play, without financial costs, is being positive.”


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Philippines: Online Visita Iglesia · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

The faithful can now have the Visita Iglesia, or the traditional Filipino custom of visiting at least seven churches where they can commemorate the fourteen Stations of the Cross on Holy Thursday, online. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines recently launched the “online Visita Iglesia” for those “who cannot make the church visit for some valid reason.”

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Russia: Anglophone Commentary on Subway Attacks · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

More Anglophone discussions of the March 29 Moscow subway bombings, the politics around it and the commentary it has generated: Sean's Russia Blog – here and here; FPA's Russia blog; A Good Treaty – here and here; Dzutsev's Weblog; DI's Russia Blog; A Step At A Time – here, here and here; FP's Passport blog; OpenDemocracy.net; True/Slant; Jamestown Foundation's Blog; The New York Times’ Room for Debate, and The Lede – here and here.


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Russia: Mainstream and Citizen Media Coverage · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Lengthy discussions of the mainstream and citizen media coverage of the March 29 Moscow subway attacks: Minding Russia – here and here, FPA's Russia blog – here and here, and Global Voices Online – here.


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Russia: Muscovites Use Blogs to Avoid Riding Metro · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Podvezu_msk Livejournal community, which opened after the recent bombings in Moscow, is used by drivers-bloggers to offer a ride to those who don't want to use a subway. It also developed a special sign for cars with drivers willing to help for free. RIA Novosty tells a story of new bloggers’ initiative.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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Spain: Conguitos Racist Logos in Question · Global Voices
Norbert Bousigue

On Maneno, a blogging platform dedicated to meet the needs of sub Saharan Africa bloggers, schauzeri wonders  why Conguitos, a renown sweets company in Spain,  retained their current logos despite the offensive undertones for Africans [article also available in spanish]. According to schauzeri, The offensive logos, which have been in circulation since 1960's,  do not seem to be perceived as  a problem in Spain.

author: Norbert Bousigue


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Taiwan: Save Pink Dolphins · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Wild at Heart calls for donation to save the endangered Pink Dolphins near the Taiwan sea.


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The Big Issue Hits Taiwan · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

Mr.Jia, who sells the first issue of The Big Issue Taiwan Edition. Photo Courtesy of AmberTaipei
The Big Issue, first published in UK 20 years ago, is now rolling out its Traditional Chinese monthly edition in Taiwan on 1st of April. This is a unique publishing project which relies on homeless people to sell the street magazine and hence helps them to have a legitimate job. The homeless can earn 50 TWD (around half of the price) for each magazine they sold. You can read more about its origin and development on Wikipedia.
Lin You Xue is excited about the arrival of The Big Issue to Taiwan:
Big issue 登陸台灣，對我個人是個振奮的消息，除了驚訝台灣亦步亦趨吸收英國的社福觀點外，作法上也漸漸同步了起來。這份街友才能販賣的雜誌，在英國發行已經超過20年，雜誌賣點除了內容之外，附加價值在於，提供人們幫助弱勢的管道，但與捐款不同的是，讓弱勢族群也肩負自力更生的責任。
siligraphy19 says:
… 請大家告訴大家這本雜誌的消息,轉貼我的部落格文也可以. 如果在捷運站出口處,看到穿著The Big Issue制服的街友或志工, 請停下腳步, 購買一本100元的雜誌, 作為對社會企業雜誌最直接的支持. 省下一杯星巴克的錢, 獲得的不只是閱讀的樂趣, 也幫助街友或社會弱勢的人們, 透過販售雜誌的工作機會, 賺取收入, 重建信心,重新取回生活主導權。
賈先生說：「大家不知道我在喊的這是什麼~」捷運站外飄起小雨，他不能站上有屋簷的捷運手扶梯前喊，只好繼續站在階梯外喊「大誌雜誌！」的確，到底什麼是大誌？大誌有什麼？對於平常只逛拍賣只讀蘋果與GQ的上班族來說，一個站在捷運外叫賣陌生書刊名字的中年人一點也沒有意義
antibadmedia also anticipates the difficult future of The Big Issue in Taiwan:
再過兩天這本雜誌就要創刊了，雖然立意很好，但是新聞中報導台北縣市以外的縣市仍由便利商店作為販售通路，恩…… 如果這本雜誌內容還不差，也確實地實踐其宗旨「由街友販售」，那大家就盡己所能支持囉！大型的社會公平不易一蹴可幾，小規模的資源流動總是可行的。除了期待還要觀察。


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Afghanistan: Some Tricky Numbers · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust analyzes the latest freshly released numbers about opium seizures in Afghanistan.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Bangladesh: The State Of Business Blogging · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bangladesh Corporate Blog discusses the state of business blogging in Bangladesh in recent times.


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Colombia: South American Games a Success · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

The South American Games are held every four years with the participation of the countries affiliated with the South American Sports Organization (Odesur for its initials in Spanish), as well as the participation of the residents of the host city that make it a significant sporting event. The city which hosted the 9th version of the Games was Medellín, Colombia, where between March 19-30 the residents of the city could watch the event, not only in the different competition stages, but around the city in general. Approximately 3,000 athletes traveled around the city during the duration of the Games on the Metro, which was declared the official transport for the athletes.
Gymnastics competition by Telemedellín and used under a CC license.
Generally, the opinions towards these types of events are very positive and the response by the citizenry exalts the work by the public administration. From the moment of the Games’ inauguration, until the closing ceremonies, Twitter was one of the platforms where one can follow what was happening in Medellín with the hashtag #suramericanos. Without a doubt, there were a lot of excitement in the tweets after each medal was awarded, and through the Twitter account of the local television channel Telemedellín [es], the Twitter community could find out the results in the various sporting events in realtime. The joy from the “paisas” (name given to local residents of Medellín and surrounding areas) was reflected in these tweets. Mauricio Jaramillo (@mauriciojaramil) writes:
Presidente de Odesur declara los #Suramericanos de 2010 como los mejores de la historia. ¡Felicitaciones, Medellín!
Ana Vélez (@lananavelez) reports after the closing ceremonies:
Y se nos acabaron los #suramericanos Medellín 2010… anoche estuvo bonita la clausura. Sigamos organizando eventos así en Medellín.
In the digital magazine Equinoxio [es], one day before the end of the competition, a paragraph was published that summarized the general citizen perception:
Estas olimpiadas suramericanas han sido un verdadero éxito, tanto en lo deportivo —por la resonante victoria colombiana, que barrió en disciplinas como el patinaje, ciclismo y bolos, además de haber ganado el torneo de fútbol, al mando de Ramiro Viáfara— como en la organización. Medellín y las sedes alternas se lucieron con la puesta a punto de los escenarios dispuestos para cada una de las disciplinas. La gente asistió y apoyó masivamente a los deportistas nacionales y extranjeros. Las delegaciones fueron acogidas cálidamente en la Villa Olímpica. La ceremonia inaugural fue impresionante.
These South American Olympiads have been a true success, in the sporting area – for the resounding Colombian victory, which won in disciplines like skating, cycling, and bowling, as well as the football tournament under the command of Ramiro Viáfara – as well as the organization. Medellín and the alternate sites shone at each of the stages made available for each of the disciplines. The people attended and supported national and foreign athletes on a massive scale. The delegations were warmly welcomed at the Olympic Village. The opening ceremony was impressive.
However, despite the joy and general pride, Lully Posada, Global Voices author writes that one the same day as the Games’ Opening Ceremony, workers protests around the Stadium [es].
Me pidieron que utilizara una vía alterna a la que estaba señalizada y rodeada por una cantidad exagerada de policías, que tenían un cerco en el sector debido a una manifestación de la clase obrera. Sí, era la otra cara de los juegos, la clase trabajadora que se había reunido desde sus diferentes grupos para dejar un precedente de queja por la carencia de un empleo digno, un empleo bien remunerado, las injusticias con el trabajador colombiano y la posible venta de empresas.
Some consider that in addition, the Games were strategic to hide the social problems of the city [es]. Tomáz García writes:
Llegan a la ciudad los “IX Juegos Suramericanos Medellín 2010″, obligando a los paisas a vestirse como gente decente y prepararse para simular ante los turistas que Medellín vale la pena.
There were some bloggers who also attempted to add some humor to the context of the Games, such as the blogger from Globoterror [es] who wrote about the notoriety of Medellín and the drug trade by satirically saying that the Games had been thinking about eliminating drug testing as a way of “stimulating the local economy.”
Before, during, and after the conclusion of the Games, there was one question that many in Medellín had, as expressed by Jorge Luis Rocha of the blog Cuántas Palabras [es]:
JuanSe Molina, contacto en Facebook y blogger, en un comentario sarcástico y extremista, decía que en los Juegos Sudamericanos Medellín 2010 iba a estar gente de todo el mundo… menos de Medellín, cosa que me parece muy acertada. Hace un año la ciudad vivió la visita del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) y durante esa semana los gamines, habitantes de la calle o desechables -como los quieran llamar- desaparecieron. No se sabía adónde los habían mandado, el hecho es que no se veían por ahí.

author: Cati Restrepo


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Guatemala: The Colorful Sights of Holy Week · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Holy Week, which is celebrated the week before Easter, is an eagerly anticipated time in Guatemala. With colorful religious traditions and the abundance of typical foods, these days showcase the best that the country has to offer. Local bloggers have been experiencing the sights, sounds, and smells of Holy Week in Guatemala.
Bradelectro of the blog New Maya summarizes what Holy Week is all about:
If you’re anywhere in Latin America today then you know we’re right smack in the middle of Semana Santa, or Holy Week, and it’s like Christmas + Hanukkah x 10, for a whole week! Guatemala is a predominantly Catholic country and this being a major Catholic holiday, well, the stores are closed, kids are off from school and everyone’s out in the streets watching the processions with their families until it all ends on Sunday. Processions are massive parades with floats carved out of wood depicting Biblical allegories. They are dramatic, colorful, smell like a million simultaneously burning incense sticks and sound like booming off-key parade music.
Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, and in the city of Cobán, located in central Guatemala, Nelson Benjamin Pérez describes the main activities that took place, which included the making of the traditional carpets in honor of the statue of Jesus, which is called Nazareno Antiguo (Antique Nazarene) [es]:
Con una gran fiesta de alfombras se le rindió tributo al Nazareno Antiguo, un día hermoso en el que cientos de familias se dedicaron el día entero para realizar bellas alfombras. Felicitaciones a todas las familias de la zona 4 que se han esmerado por muchos años en la elaboración de bellas y coloridas alfombras. El presidente Alejandro Evaristo Cacao, del comité de la elaboración de alfombras, manifestó que son unas 90 familias que participan en la elaboración de más de 2,000 metros de alfombras, invierten aproximadamente unos 8 mil quetzales e inician unos tres meses antes, todo para rendir tributo al Nazareno Antiguo.
Setting the Red Carpet. Photo by Rudy Girón and used under a Creative Commons license.
Rudy Girón of the Antigua Daily Photo blog also writes about this tradition of colorful carpet making, which is also prominent in the city of Antigua:
The making of carpets from sawdust, pine-needles, flowers, vegetables is a community-forming tradition. People get together by block or near-by neighbors to create the carpets on which the processions will pass by. Sometimes the making of the carpets is done at night, all night so they are ready for next day’s procession. The colorful processional carpet elaboration process involves the whole family, close friends, the neighborhood and the entire community.
Photo of procession by Kara Andrade. Used under a Creative Commons license.
The Guatemalan city of Antigua is often considered the center of Holy Week festivities, which features the processions, one of the highlights of Lent. Many visitors especially come to see the processions during Holy Week. Guatemalan blogger Kara Andrade of the blog New Maya writes about her visit to Antigua on Good Friday to catch a glimpse of one of the typical processions.
On my tip-toes, I saw the bus-long float carrying a red-robed Christ and his wooden cross surrounded by dozens of orchids and flowers  hoisted on the shoulders of at least a hundred purple-clothed men. There was clouds of incense and the prayers by the priests were almost sung in rhythm. I could not make the words out, but I knew the journey well, I’d grown up with it as a Catholic. We were embarking upon The Passion of Christ—all the events and suffering of Jesus in the hours before and including his trial and execution by crucifixion. (…) We were surrounded by thousands witnessing the procession and as it made its way towards Alameda Santa Lucía, we marched with it, flanked on our left by believers paying their respect, making the cross along their forehead and across their chests. Small candles were lit one by one and then the dark pierced their multitude like pearls or fireflies along the path. We all moved as one unit..
Food also takes center stage during Holy Week. Luis Figueroa of the blog Carpe Diem [es] posts a photo slide show of the different foods available during Holy Week. He lists the wide variety of traditional foods that can be found, as well as the not-so-traditional foods that make an appearance during this time, such as pizza served from carts and cappuccino coffees.
However, Holy Week is much more than processions and food, notes Girón, who posts photographs of a traditional play depicting the Passion of Christ.
For many Guatemalans and visitors, Holy Week is a special time to honor their Catholic traditions, and when Holy Week ends with the celebration of Easter on April 4, 2010, they can begin looking forward to next year's festivities.

author: Eduardo Avila


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India: Liveblogging from TEDx Mumbai · Global Voices
Rezwan

Amit Verma at India Uncut liveblogs from the TEDx Mumbai event, which is taking place today.

author: Rezwan


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India, Pakistan: A Celebrity Marriage Tests The Relation Between Two Countries · Global Voices
Rezwan

The relations between India and Pakistan have been characterized by rivalry and suspicion and every now and then you will hear new stories testing the relationship.
Sania Mirza (24), is a renowned Indian tennis player from Hyderabad and Shoaib Malik (28), is a Pakistani cricket player and former captain of the Pakistan team.
Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza. Image Courtesy ‘Deadpan Thoughts’
The news of their upcoming marriage (April 15, 2010) is a hot topic in Indian and Pakistani media and the political arena and the bloggers are buzzing about it as well.
Indian bloggers have been skeptical and somewhat critic about this bond. Greatbong at Random Thoughts of A Demented Mind broke the news with his trademark humor:
The happy couple came today in front of cameras and informed the world of their desire to settle down in Dubai together, indeed a place that has given us many ambassadors of India-Pakistan unity like the Big D. While Shoaib Malik’s fans rejoiced (all three of them) and Sania’s admirers reluctantly deleted her “taken in action” pictures from their head drives, relationship experts warned Sania to be careful with her service and foot-placement since she would now be subject to ejection if she triple-faults.
Almost all celebrity affairs are not out of controversy and media dug out that Shoaib married an Indian girl in 2002 and later dumped her. According to Shoaib's kins, he had fallen madly in love with the girl named Ayesha from Hyderabad, whose pictures were sent to him and later found that the girl was not the same. However, Ayesha’s family came out with a proof of marriage alleging that Shoaib married her over phone but dumped her later because of her weight problems. Sania dismissed this controversy by sending a twitter message that she and her family have known the truth all along.
Amit Verma at Indian Uncut is not impressed by Shoaib's actions:
Go figure. This dude claims that he fell in live with a girl, and wanted to marry her, on the basis of a photograph. And then the actual girl turned out to be someone else. The thing is, if you fall for a freakin’ photograph, the actual girl is always going to be someone else.
However, there are supporters for Sania Mirza too. Raj from India hopes that India and Pakistan can take a lesson from the love of two sportsperson. The blogger says:
It’s the people from two nations who can bring the change.
But the news of the marriage has created a ripple in Indian politics. The 84 year old Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray wrote in an editorial in his party’s mouthpiece Saamna: “Henceforth, Sania will not remain an Indian. Had her heart been Indian, it wouldn’t have beaten for a Pakistani. If she wished to play for India, she should have chosen an Indian life partner.”
Prem Panicker at Smoke Signals slams Shiv Sena for its double-speak:
“On Twitter, many have mocked the party for its double-speak, pointing out that it cannot in one breath continue to claim that Sonia Gandhi, despite marrying an Indian and accepting Indian citizenship, is an Italian, while also claiming that Sania loses her right to represent India just because she has married a Pakistani.”
Amidst protest Shiv Sena reversed their statement on the issue on Saturday, terming it her “personal matter”.
Renowned journalist and blogger M. J. Akbar notes in his blog:
Sania still believes that she can continue to be a citizen of India. This is correct in theory; the practice might be another story. India and Pakistan do not permit dual citizenship. Pakistan law demands that if a citizen’s spouse wants to live in the country, he or she must become a Pakistani citizen.
Krishna Chaitanya informs that:
Tennis Association of Pakistan wants to claim Sania and the Indian Association is not ready to lose their prodigy.
Meanwhile Pakistani netizens are also discussing the topic.
Sikander Fayyaz Khan from Dulha Bhadera, Pakistan says:
The news was like both the Eids combined, many times over, for Pakistanis but disappointed Indians to say the least. [..] Facebook, Orkut, twitter and every other social networking site was flooded with congratulatory messages of Pakistanis to each other. India's Sania was all of a sudden ‘Bhabhi ji’. People actually gathered outside Shoaib Malik's residence to celebrate, and not just that, in some cities people even danced on the roads on the beats of dhol. In India, on the other hand, there was a gloom. The announcement didn't go down well with most people.
Waqarabro at Rising blog comments that Shoaib must divorce Ayesha properly, noting:
Many prominent cricketers have had committed such ridiculous acts and exploited life of many women.
Hina Safdar at Chowrangi congratulates the couple and comments:
Thanks to the media for the exaggeration and extra fanatical coverage of the story, the very personal moment of their life has been turned into a cross border reality show.
Will the marriage of Shoaib and Sania be a step forward to peace and understanding between India and Pakistan? Whatever the reactions are love will win and it indicates that Indians and Pakistanis cannot keep each other away irrespective of how hard they try.


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Kazakhstan: Uranium World Bank Becomes A Reality? · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust weighs the perspectives of Kazakhstan’s plans to serve as the primary global “bank” for refined uranium products.


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Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan: Rights Activist’s Extradition Pondered · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Dushanbe writes that the authorities in Tajikistan say they are still pondering whether to extradite Kyrgyz human rights activist Nematullo Botaqoziev, who was detained in Dushanbe in late February.


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Lebanon: ArabNet discussed the future of Arabic web in English · Global Voices
Anas Qtiesh

Photo Courtesy of Roobee
Arabnet 2010 is a tech conference that was held in Beirut on March 25 and 26. The conference is the first international conference for the Arab web industry, bringing together leaders from across the MENA, Europe and Silicon Valley to discuss cutting-edge trends and emerging opportunities. While many of the participants considered it a success, there was a major criticism that kept people talking and writing about it days after the conference was concluded. The problem was that while the conference supposedly focused on Arabic web, it adopted English as its official language and the website, discussions, and presentations were all in English.
Bent Masreya [ar] who was one of the official bloggers of the conference commented on her blog saying:
Global Voices Online‘s own Alloush[ar] weighed in, expressing his disappointment and shock:
Not Green Data blog defends the decision to use English saying:
English is the de facto language for businesses nowadays, and if you really want to attract the likes of “Y Combinator”, “Reid Hoffman”, and “Benchmark Capital” you have to market your startup in English.
Many others commented on the blog: some  like Ziad Nasser focused on the success, while others like Arabinator continued to criticize the shortcomings of Arabnet and listed dozens of tweets[ar] from people sharing his frustrations.
Mohamad Sahli goes beyond merely criticizing the conference for using English or ignoring the Maghreb countries (Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, and Mauritania) and he announces plans of his own[ar]:
Despite the controversy over ArabNet 2010, many look forward toward ArabNet 2011 hoping that it would bring further innovation into the Arabic-speaking web and manage to overcome the issues that hampered its first iteration.

author: Anas Qtiesh


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Lebanon: Colored chicks – literally · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Najib writes about the habit of selling artificially colored live chicks in Lebanon, especially during Easter.

author: Moussa Bashir


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Lebanon: Harassment on the Streets of Beirut · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“One man decided to actually follow me, ten meters behind… I sprinted.. He ran too!!  I then pulled the biggest Lebanese drama  you can imagine on him,” Ivy Says reports on her personal experience of sexual harassment on the streets of Beirut.


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Lebanon: Police Round-Up Israeli Spies · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Marco Villa writes at InstaBlogs about the not so publicized and recent arrests, by the Lebanese police, of about 25 Israeli spy rings that were operating within Lebanon.


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Lebanon: Sabotage in the University  · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Lovanlife wrote, in Arabic, about how the commemoration of “Land Day” by the People's Movement, of which he is a member was sabotaged, by rival parties at the University of Lebanon.


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Lebanon: Special Tribunal Monitor · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon Monitor is a blog of the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) which publishes daily press reviews, UN documents and similar information related to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon that was set up to try those involved in the assassination of former prime minister Rafic Hariri.


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Lebanon: Who’s the Pervert  · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Ibrahim Arab writes about the stunned reaction by the Arab youth to the news that Ricky Martin is a homosexual, using the Arabic word شاذ which means pervert or not normal. He comments “your perversion, Ricky Martin, is more merciful than our perversion,” pointing to issues of injustice and crimes around us.


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Morocco: Fez World Music · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

The View from Fez offers a discussion of the Fez World Music Festival and its critics.

author: Jillian C. York


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Morocco: Photos of Meknés · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Marie of Près du Puits takes us on a photo journey of Meknés in this post.


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Music With A Message – New Music Videos from Tibet · Global Voices
Dechen Pemba

The blog translation project High Peaks Pure Earth has recently focused on “music with a message” by translating the lyrics of Tibetan songs from music videos that have been uploaded onto the internet.
On March 10 this year, the blog presented a hip hop video titled “New Generation” by the popular group known as “Yudrug” in Tibetan (“Green Dragon” in English). Yudrug had first released the video on their blog the previous month. According to High Peaks Pure Earth:
This bold new style of musical expression heard in “New Generation” has  been quite controversial in Tibetan cyberspace, with Tibetan bloggers praising Yudrug for their outspoken lyrics, but some also criticising Yudrug for adopting a style that is seen as “too western”. Whatever your  musical taste may be, the song is undeniably powerful and energetic  with a rousing chorus:
The new generation has a  resource called youth
The new generation has a pride called  confidence
The new generation has an appearance called  playfulness
The new generation has a temptation called freedom
Indeed Yudrug's “New Generation” is a demonstration of an upsurge in online activity by and about Tibetan identity, as described by an earlier blogpost in High Peaks Pure Earth. The music is full of pride and confidence. Here is the video with English subtitles:
“New Generation” by Yudrug (Green Dragon) from HPeaks on Vimeo
Apart from Yudrug, High Peaks Pure Earth also introduced a young Tibetan singer, Tashi Dhondup, to its readers. Tashi Dhondup is from the Amdo area of Tibet and is currently serving 15 months of re-education through labour for “crimes” related to his music. His 2008 CD “Torture Without Trace” sold out in thousands in Tibet. Below are  his music videos:
“1958 – 2008″ by Tashi Dhondup from HPeaks on Vimeo.
“Unable To Meet” by Tashi Dhondup from HPeaks on Vimeo.
“For That I Shed My Tears” by Tashi Dhondup from HPeaks on Vimeo.
“Torture Without Trace” by Tashi Dhondup from HPeaks on Vimeo.
“No Regrets” by Tashi Dhondup from HPeaks on Vimeo.

author: Dechen Pemba


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Pakistan: Energy Saving Bulbs · Global Voices
Rezwan

Deeda-e-Beena at All Things Pakistan blog informs that to tackle the recent energy crisis, the Pakistan government has decided to import 30 million energy saver bulbs for reportedly ‘free’ distribution.


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Russia: Subway Bombings Rap · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LJ user abstract2001 posts audio and lyrics (RUS) of Dino MC 47's new rap song about the March 29 Moscow subway attacks. A YouTube video is here (via LJ user oleg-kozyrev).

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Uzbekistan: Black market currency trade · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nathan says that serious economic trouble in Uzbekistan is represented by the proliferation of black market currency trading, as the value of the national currency rapidly decreases.


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Uzbekistan: HIV-outbreak is covered up, anti-AIDS campaigner is sentenced · Global Voices
Kathy Pidginson

About 150 Uzbek children were infected with HIV in hospitals of Namangan, the third-largest city of Uzbekistan. Although the incident was registered in 2007-08, the issue became public only in March 2010, when the opposition-minded Ferghana.ru website  (blocked in Uzbekistan) leaked a documentary [rus], which had been shot by the Uzbek TV following the order of the prosecutor's office.
The film cites Bakhtiyor Shodmonov, a representative of the Prosecutor’s Office in Namangan, saying [rus] that 14 of 147 infected children died (the documentary was shot in early 2009). He also said that 12 doctors and nurses from two hospitals in Namangan were tried in court, found guilty of mistreatment of the children and sentenced to 5-9 years in jail (see the film in Uzbek language here).
The news produced a big resonance in the blogosphere. Many people are shocked not only with the negligence of doctors, but also with the fact that the case was covered up by the government. Some even think that the sentence was not severe enough. Neoleo writes [rus]:
Слишком мало дали за детей, они же буквально  убили их. А что говорить про  родителей? Их судьбы тоже покалечены.
Punishment was too mild; they literally killed the children. And what about their parents? Their lives are ruined too.
There are more comments on Registan.net:
Metin: “those medical doctors got off easy; lifelong penalties would’ve been more appropriate. Lack of sense of responsibility in occupations influencing people’s lives needs to dealt more seriously”.
reader: “This is what comes of face-saving and ignorance”.
Jay: “Uzbeks know that hospitals are a place to go to die versus a chance at healing. This will only reinforce that belief”.
michaelhancock: “I remember when these hit town – It was when I was still living in Sayram [a city in South Kazakhstan Province, Kazakhstan], and many of the affected were young mothers from that same Uzbek-majority area”.
According to the Special Order of the Uzbek Ministry of Health, all hospitals havingchildren and surgery departments must employ an epidemiologist. Director of the children hospital in Namangan says in the documentary [rus] that although the relevant position was presumed in the hospital, no one was appointed to this job, although requests were sent to both city and provincial epidemiological stations.
Another fact – imprisonment of healthcare activist Maksim Popov – also reflects the government's attempts to conceal AIDS-related issues in Uzbekistan. Independent online newspaper Uznews.net reported [rus] that the Uzbek court has sentenced Maksim Popov, 28, a civil campaigner and head of anti-AIDS nonprofit organization “Izis” to 7 years in prison. The court has found that a brochure that he was distributing is allegedly “incompatible with local traditions”.
for_efel says [rus]:
раньше, за попытку  открыть людям глаза на мир, сжигали  на костре
in ancient times, many were burned for the attempts to open people's eyes
More controversial comments can be found on Registan.net:
Turgai Sangar: “[…]the thing is also that many of these internationally funded (or at least Western-designed) HIV prevention projects are, in practice, advocacy bureaus for prostitution and sexual debauchery. No matter whatever fancy development blabla come up, if you distribute condoms and offer free health care to prostitutes, you support and encourage the practice – period”.
Nathan: “[…]You know as well as I and many others do that prostitution existed and would have persevered even if no western NGOs ever set foot in Central Asia. […] Teenage males especially are in need of some kind of education about sexually transmitted diseases. Pre-marital and extra-marital sex in Central Asia happens, and it pre-dates western NGOs, Soviet bureaucrats, and tsarist governors, period”.
Anna: “I think that societies where sexuality is taboo are the most unsafe for women and children. I do work similar to Maksim’s and believe that supporting groups that are stigmatized by the general public is an important issue not only from public health perspective but also because these groups end up in inhumane conditions, living on the streets, struggling with alcohol and drug abuse, disowned by their families. […]”
The incident with Maksim confirms an unofficial ban on distribution of information about usage of condoms as prevention of HIV and AIDS that the Uzbek authorities [rus] applied for NGOs and international organizations, including UNICEF. Several days ago Aljazeera English aired a documentary film “AIDS on the Heroin Road”. The film focuses on endemic corruption in state apparatus and police forces as an important factor behind the spread of HIV in Central Asia.

author: Kathy Pidginson


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Video: South American Games in Medellin, Colombia · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

These past two weeks were full of sport activities and celebration in Medellin, Colombia while the city hosted the IX South American Games (ODESUR) where different Latin American countries competed for medals in a variety of sports.  Locals and visitors paused their routines to visit the facilities and watch the games. Following are some of the videos they made, showing how each of them experienced the games.
Carlos Esteban Orozco had the opportunity to be at the opening ceremony. In his four minute video, we follow him as he shows up to the ceremony, sits and waits for a few hours until it begins, highlighting parts of the spectacle and ending with the firework display that lit the city sky.
Lully was also at the opening ceremonies but she saw a different side than Carlos Orozco: as she arrived at the stadium, she saw workers organized in a protest demanding fairer salaries and decent jobs. She interviewed some of the athletes and then proceeded to walk to the improvised seating for those who didn't manage to get inside the venues: sitting outside, watching through the fences. The games, although meant for everyone, didn't really benefit the whole population.
A similar experience was lived by Ana Vallejo and Juan David Escobar who tried to watch the games, but found out that they had to be there 3 hours in advance to get a seat. So they walked around the new sport facilities and peeped in through the perforated walls before heading back home. Here is their video:
Diana Perez, however, didn't have much trouble getting into the game venues. Her trick? Getting there early. She managed to get into several sporting events:
Lina11co was at the Closing Ceremony, and following is the video she made at the open air ceremony, where you can see the acrobat troupe hanging from a metallic structure suspended from a crane, many meters above the audience:
If you wish to watch the opening and closing ceremonies, the complete videos by regional TV channel TeleMedellin are online.
Disclosure: Some of the videos on this post were filmed for an episode of  Todo lo que hay,  a webshow in which I am involved.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Arab World: Pulling all the Stops for the BoBs  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Arab bloggers nominated for the annual Best of the Blogs award (The BoBs) are pulling all the stops, to attract more votes.
The contest, organised by Deutsche Welle for the sixth year, has entered its final round. More than 8,400 blogs were submitted by 58,837 users for 17 categories and a jury, made up of seasoned bloggers from around the world, selected 187 finalists. (Disclosure: I am one of this year's judges).
Now that the judges work is almost over, it is the turn of the online community to support the finalists through a month-long online voting process, which ends on April 14, 2010. The jury will then meet face to face in Berlin, and the results will be announced on April 15 during re:publica. The shortlists consist of 11 entries in each category.
In the Arabic category, the competing bloggers are as follows: Syrian Medad, Jordanian Osama Romoh, Moroccan Noaufal, Syrian Abdulsalam Ismael, Libyan Ghazi Gheblawi, Egyptian Tarek, Egyptian Jimmy Halim, Algerian Yousef, Bahraini Suad, Moroccan Mustafa Elbakkali and Egyptian Wael Abbas.
On his blog's participation in the BoBs, Medad writes:
تفاجأت بأن مدونتي بلغت المرحلة الثانية من مسابقة البوبز في فئة “افضل مدونة عربية” إلى جانب مدونة عبد السلام عبر إحدى التعليقات الأخيرة في هذه المدونة، ولم أكن قد رشحتها هذه السنة بل قام أحدهم بفعل ذلك ووضع على كاهلي عبئاً آخر، والحقيقة استغربتُ كيف أن هذه المدونة وصلت إلى المرحلة الثانية على الرغم من أن الشبكة مليئة بمدونات مذهلة ذات محتوى خصب وعميق أخجل أن أضع تعليقاً فيها لضآلة ما أشعر به أمامها.
I was surprised to see my blog shortlisted in the BoBs for best Arabic blog, alongside Abdulsalam's blog, and found out through a comment here. I did not nominate myself but someone else did, placing a huge burden on my shoulders. I am surprised to see my blog get to this level when the Internet is full of amazing blogs, with rich content and deep thoughts, which make me ashamed to even leave a comment on them because of how minuscule I feel.
Having shaken off the initial shock, Medad comes up with a campaign agenda, with promises to his voters. They include:
Noaufal too has made promises should he win. He writes:
And Suad urges her readers to vote for her, and has some advice for them too:
Meanwhile, Tarek is shy about asking for votes. He tells his readers:
From the blogs, the campaigns have spilled over to Twitter and Facebook, with the nominated bloggers and their fan base urging readers to cast votes. Some bloggers have even designed and posted logos on their blogs, calling upon their readers to vote for them.
To cast you vote for any of the blogs nominated for the awards, click here.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Cambodia: Campaign Against Wearing of Short Skirts · Global Voices
Sopheap Chak

Around 100 people including teachers and students held a rally on Sunday March 28 in an effort to stop female students from wearing short skirts. The campaign was expected to have more participants if its original plan to march through the streets of Phnom Penh was approved by the City Hall. Still, the campaign organizer, Seang Bunheang, Director of Khmer Teachers’ Association reportedly applauded this gathering as a success in sending the message of urging the Ministry of Education, academic institutions, teachers, female students and their parents to stop female students from wearing short skirts. This appeal is hoped to preserve Khmer Culture and discourage female students from vigorously adapting western culture:
“I had the idea to organise the campaign because I want to improve Khmer culture [and retain the culture] that we had many years ago – some Khmer women change their manner by copying other cultures and do things such as wearing short skirts or sexy clothes in schools and public places. That can destroy our culture,” says Seang Bunheang as quoted from Phnom Penh Post.
Acknowledging the the move could be seen as an undue pressure on women, the organizer repeatedly claimed it is justified for promoting Khmer culture.
I don’t force [women] from wearing short skirts, but I want to take care and improve our Khmer culture, “We have to take care in order for other countries not to look down on us.”
Seemingly, this campaign has been welcomed by major ministries, Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association, and some students. For example, there is support from Pov Sam An, deputy director of the Ministry's Informal Education System Department who reportedly agrees that female students should not wear short skirts. He also cited the existing mandatory rule instructing female students to wear only long skirts.
“All female students have to wear their skirts under the knees in school, and it is good that the Khmer Teachers’ Association campaign will remind people of this, I cannot accept that some female students in private or state schools wear such short skirts to school,” said Pov Sam An.
Even the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Women's Affairs, San Arun, also welcomed the rally by sharing a similar opinion about the need to preserve Khmer culture. She allegedly claimed that “the trend towards shorter skirts was part of an ill-advised attempt to copy other cultures – a move she suggested could destroy Khmer culture if left unchecked.” Interestingly, she linked the short skirt as motivation for men to rape:
“Wearing short skirts and sexy clothes is a reason to cause rape cases to occur because all men, when they see white skin, they feel like having sex with them.”
This provocative statement has caught the attention of a prominent blogher Kounila Keo who posted this on her facebook page, which later sparked several comments. Here is an interesting remark by a commentator:
“This is like saying women in the Middle East who walk outside of the places they're allowed to, are asking to be raped. I think the Secretary is perpetuating a negative cultural attitude between genders. I'm sorry but women and short skirts are NOT the problem…I find that the leaders in Cambodia are part of the problem. If  they want to positively change attitudes of the people, they need to start providing an avenue to discuss about these gender issues–not condemn those who are ultimately in ‘ownership’ of their bodies.”
This idea is shared by Sim Socheata who sent a letter to Phnom Penh Post's editor, “Don't blame women for men's lack of self control”:
“We are witnessing that women and girls are blamed for being raped and sexually harassed for the kind of place they decide to go, the kind of dresses they decide to wear and the length of those dresses. Instead of calling for women to stop wearing short skirts, the Khmer Teachers Association could have marched against male perpetrators who rape women and girls, men who commit violence in the family, male teachers who sexually harass their students.”
While majority of those who commented on Kounila's facebook page believe that wearing short skirts is not the problem, Chanroeun Pa who also joined this debate wrote about the link between cultural integration and safety of women:
I don't completely agree with the secretary of the MoWA, and I don't really support the school girls to wear short skirt either. It is obvious that wearing short skirt is a Western style. In fact, there is nothing wrong with wearing the short skirt for the school girls in general. Instead it is an art or beauty of dressing for girl. But wearing short skirt which is too short in an inappropriate way and in wrong place is a great danger for the person herself. And therefore, this requires a consideration about the different cultural values between Cambodian culture and the West. We have to accept that new culture which emerges from the interaction with other culture is sometimes overwhelming. And the ground somehow is suitable for the seed to grow well. We will, should not ignore the sensitivity of sexual taboo in Cambodian society either. There is a saying about choice of cultural adoption, “You can either adjust your head to fit your hat, or adjust your hat to fit your head.”
Meanwhile, another blogger, Mean Lux is not in favor of the anti-short skirt campaign and issues this warning:
For protesters against wearing short skirt, facebook maybe next in their list to be banned to preserve the in-their-view Khmer tradition.
As expected, this campaign has received much attention. The debate is still ongoing with another social activist Chhay Sophal, writer for Open Institute, wrote “ទស្សនៈពីការស្លៀកពាក់បញ្ចេញសាច់”, “View on Skimpy Dresses.” He randomly interviewed young females in the capital and two other provinces to survey their opinion on the campaign. Though many respondents agreed that the ban on wearing short skirts is viable for academic institutions, they think it should not be applied in public spaces. Strikingly, the belief that wearing short skirts induces rape cases surprises the respondents:
“កាលពីមិនទាន់មានការស្លៀកពាក់ខ្លីបែបនេះកាលពីបណ្ដាឆ្នាំមុនៗ និងជំនាន់មុនៗ តើមិនមានករណីការចាប់រំលោភសេពសន្ថវៈមែនទេឬអី ហើយតើបុរសៗពិតជាមិនមានអារម្មណ៍ចង់រួមភេទមែនដែរឬអត់ បើពួកគេមិនបានឃើញសាច់សខ្ចីរបស់នារីៗនោះ? នារីវ័យក្មេងៗទាំងនោះបានសំណូមពរថា មនុស្សជំនាន់មុនមិនត្រូវបន្ទោសមនុស្សជំនាន់ក្រោយឡើយ ព្រោះសម័យកាល និងការវិវត្តវាពិតជាខុសគ្នាពីជំនាន់មួយទៅជំនាន់មួយ។”
Sophal highlighted that the respondents also reflected on the basic rights and freedom of individuals as guaranteed by the Constitution and international rights conventions. Further, the respondents appealed to the government to improve the rule of law and take serious intervention for social security rather than focusing on the short skirt matter:
សេចក្ដីថ្លៃថ្នូររបស់ជាតិមួយគឺត្រូវតែទប់ស្កាត់ការជួញដូរមនុស្ស និងការជួញដូរគ្រឿងញៀន ការលុបបំបាត់ទេសចរណ៍ផ្លូវភេទ ការលុបបំបាត់ការកេងប្រវ័ញ្ចលើស្ត្រី និងត្រូវតែគោរពសិទ្ធិស្ត្រី ហើយផ្ដល់តួនាទីស្ត្រីនៅក្នុងសង្គមប្រកបដោយសមភាពយេនឌ័រ ការផ្ដល់សេវាសាធារណៈ និងហេដ្ឋារចនាសម្ព័ន្ធសង្គមឲ្យបានគ្រប់គ្រាន់ដល់ពលរដ្ឋ ការបង្កើនការងារឲ្យមនុស្សធ្វើ ត្រូវមានការអភិវឌ្ឍទាំងនៅទីក្រុងនិងនៅជនបទ មិនមានអំពើពុករលួយជាប្រព័ន្ធ ត្រូវមានតម្លាភាព និងមានយុត្តិធម៌សង្គមជាដើម។
Regardless of the mixed views on this campaign, the trend is observably and likely to target girls rather than the main violators. Earlier there was also an attempt by the state to impose a girl curfew  – which was justified by claiming that it would promote safety of women against being harmed at nightclubs or other entertainment areas. Groups asserted that it is better to strengthen the rule of law and restrictive policies on the nightclub itself.

author: Sopheap Chak


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China: County citizens subject to moral appraisal · Global Voices
Don Weinland

Defaulting on a loan, running a red light, having a second child, or receiving a serious warning from the Communist Party—just some of the behaviors that might give Suining County citizens a bad credit score, according to the first list of 812 names disclosed March 15 on a government Web site.
Suining County, Jiangsu has spent 800,000 yuan ($1,172,000) on a system that collects information on its citizen’s behavior and then gives them credit scores.  The positive or negative score is intended to reflect the trustworthiness and moral character of the individual.
Depending on the level of severity—each behavior carrying an inherent point value—citizens with bad scores will be “dealt with severely and subject to monitoring,” reports a Southern Metropolis article.  Whereas those with good scores will reap employment and educational benefits, along with Communist Party membership opportunities.
Zhu Pinwu, director of the newly established Credit Collection System of the Masses Office in Suining County, said in a blog entry that only when an individual’s score reaches a certain level will there be any repercussions.  An article at sina.com quotes Suining County Committee Chairman Wang Tianqi as saying “keeping one’s word here will bring you benefits everywhere; breaking a promise there will bring you restrictions everywhere.”
“Bringing investment money and being a commoner’s hero” or “serving the common interest and being a people’s hero,” rank among the highest point-earning behaviors, according to the March 15 list.  “Being a societal mother and helping a child”—a merit attributed to men and women—is the most commonly accredited behavior.
The county has been prudent with the personal information they have disclosed—both online and in a local newspaper—Zhu says.  In his blog Zhu writes that the county’s public disclosures have been selective.
… 比如卖淫嫖娼这样的，就没有公布。这两个月，我们一共征集到了1064条优良信息，3352条不良信息，优良信息全部公布了，不良信息只公布了1928条，这说明我们是很慎重的。
… For example, matters concerning prostitution were not disclosed.  Over the past two month we have collected 1064 pieces of positive information and 3352 pieces of negative information.  All positive information has been disclosed; only 1928 pieces of negative information were made public.  This proves that we have been very careful.
Celebrated writer and Xiamen University Professor Yi Zhongtian advocates the move amidst what he calls the frequent occurrence of “moral dust storms.”  In an opinion column at Southern Metropolis Yi writes that although the system has been poorly received by public opinion, it is an answer to the growing call for social regulation by the government.  Yi writes that such an experiment is suitable for a county-level government because it involves relatively few people and can be established quickly.
The majority of online public opinion has been critical of the system.
Blogger Xiemo says credit appraisal might work for finance but not for the social standing of individual people.
信用评价在金融业使用比较广泛，银行为了规避风险，建立了个人信用信息记录 … 但应该说，这种信用是完全建立在商业基础上的。将个人日常行为全部纳入信用征集系统，恐怕最后的结果，是每个人都可能会有“污点”，留下不良的记录，面临着被处罚的危险。
The usage of credit appraisal in the finance industry is extensive.  To avoid risk, banks established personal credit records … But we should say that this kind of credit was established completely on a commercial foundation.  Taking an individual’s daily behavior and entering it into a credit collection system, I’m afraid the final result will leave everyone with a stained record, facing the danger of punishment.
Zhou Fang, a Xinhua News Agency editor and reporter writes about the system in a blog entry.
这个系统的设计思想逻辑混乱、巧立名目、混淆是非，让百姓为他们每一个小小失误就可能付出巨大的信用代价，同时却让违法犯罪的官员仍然可以活得有滋有味。
The thought and logic behind this system is chaotic, selfishly inventive, and a blurring of right and wrong.  It will make the common people pay a great price for every tiny mistake they make.  However, at the same time it will let law-breaking officials continue to live comfortably.
A blog entry at Chengshang-Qixia questions Suining County’s economic situation and whether poverty might lead to negative credit appraisal.  The author writes that many of the point-deducting behaviors, such as vending in forbidden areas and spitting, are often associated with the poor.
不知睢宁县是否消除了贫困？有没有下岗职工？有没有特困人群？有没有城乡差别 … 作为省级贫困大县的睢宁，落后地区贫困人口应该不在少数。将一位下岗职工为谋生摆地摊偶尔摆到红线之内，一位偏远山村农民偶尔进城随地吐痰，一位因病致贫而一时无法偿还集体或个人的借款 … 这合乎情理吗？对贫苦穷人不是一种事实上的歧视吗？
I don’t know if Suining County has eradicated poverty.  Are their any unemployed?  Are there any destitute populations?  Is there an urban-rural income gap … As a large, poor county, Suining must have many impoverished areas and populations.  Take an unemployed worker who [vends goods] in a forbidden area, or a farmer from a mountain village who spits where he likes, or someone impoverished due to illness who currently can’t pay back a loan … Isn’t this really discrimination against the desperately poor?
In a blog entry, Qihuang writes that there is no legal basis for Suining County to carry out such actions.
在睢宁的这套大众信用管理体系建设中，我们既找不到法律授权睢宁县这样做的相关规定，也看不到当地人大代表对睢宁县这样做的集体表决。
With the establishment of this masses credit management system in Suining, we find no relevant regulation granting Suining County the legal basis to do this.  Nor do we see any collective resolve from the local People’s Committee for Suining County to do this.
Blogger Liu Hongbo writes that based on the county committee secretary’s description, management of the system will be carried out heavy-handedly.
这与其说是一个大众信用征集系统，不如说是一条捆绑民众的缰绳，一条抽打民众的鞭子。县委书记王天琦说，党委政府要“管理大众信息，鞭策群众讲真话”。这些表示，已经明白地表示了管理大众信息，是要用鞭子策动民众。
Rather than calling it a credit collection system for the masses, calling it a rope with which to bind the people would be more suitable—a whip to beat the people with.  County Committee Secretary Wang Tianqi said the party committee and the government will “manage the masses’ information and spur them to tell the truth.”  This already clearly shows the management of the masses’ information will be done with a whip to instigate the people.
Social scientists such as Shan Guangnai and Sun Liping warn about the coming of civil unrest and social decay to a rapidly developing China.  Maintenance of a “harmonious society” is echoed between government and party organs and has been given priority at all levels of governance.  The question for Suining County is whether such a credit collection system will serve to quell social dilemma, or exasperate it.

author: Don Weinland


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Morocco: Are Christians at Risk? · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

In early March, observers watched as around 20 long-time Christian orphanage workers were expelled from the country they called home.  The incident, and others which followed it, have brought to light the debate surrounding Christianity in the Kingdom.
While the official Moroccan line is that 98.7-99 per cent of the population is Muslim (the remainder being approximately 1% Christian and 0.2% Jewish), that statistic includes ethnic Europeans residing in Morocco.  Proselytizing is illegal, as is conversion away from Islam.  Still, foreign Christians are allowed to practice freely, and a number of churches, mostly from the era of French colonization, remain.  In contrast, the country's tiny Jewish population is almost entirely native, and is also allowed free practice of their faith.
Despite guarantees of freedom, it would appear that the government is taking a stronger approach of late to proselytism, both real and perceived.  The Moroccan Dispatches shares a recent incident in which an Egyptian Catholic priest was expelled from the country:
Evangelicals have operated for years in Morocco, with their main purpose being the conversion of Muslims. Catholics have operated for longer, but purposefully have not engaged in proselytizing. So it came as a surprise that a Catholic priest was also detained and then exported during last week's crackdown.
The blogger shares a message he received from a Catholic priest working in Morocco:
On Sunday the 7th of March, five minutes before mass began; the police in the city of Larache entered our friary and arrested one of our confrères, Rami Zaki, a young Egyptian friar still in initial formation who was spending a year with us. He was ordered to go with the police, had no possibility to collect anything, and was given no explanation for his arrest…
…When Rami was put on the plane, his passport was taken from him and given to the pilot who later surrendered it with Rami to the police in Cairo. He was detained by the police in Cairo for another seven hours for interrogation before he was permitted to telephone his community of friars. From Sunday, the morning of his arrest, to Tuesday afternoon, when he was released – a total of more than 50 hours – Rami was deprived by the police in Morocco and Egypt of any of his human rights.
In another post, the blogger demonstrates that the public has joined in the crackdowns, citing a recent incident in which a cross was removed from its site of many years:
Where a cross once hung in Meknés
This is the place where a cross used to hang in Meknes’ medina. The Catholics who teach Moroccans languages and career skills in this building do not engage in proselytism but have caught up in the anti-Christian sentiment following the recent expulsions of Christians. Last week, the cross was knocked down and beaten into pieces.
On a positive note, Moroccans who have benefited from their services have volunteered to reconstruct the cross.
In a more recent post, the same blogger assesses a TelQuel article on the situation, and says of it:
In the main article, it points out that most Moroccans convert to Christianity more as a result of Arabic media and not from foreign missionaries. This jives with my experience: a number of Moroccans I know have had long conversations with Christian missionaries about religion and none have converted. Some defended Islam while smoking hashish just to piss off the Christians, it that gives you an idea of how many Moroccans understand their Islamic identity. This observation about foreign missionaries, of course, undermines the rationale behind the recent expulsions of many foreigners.
To conclude, the blogger notes the recent media crackdowns and laments:
Other media critical of the government have been shut down recently. And the same could happen to Tel Quel. But as long as they are still around, there will be at least some debate and critical thinking about current events.


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D.R. Of Congo; The Jew of Katanga · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Alex writes about the Jew of Katanga; Moïse Katumbi Katebe Chapwe, a multimillionaire, is the powerful governor of the Province of Katanga, one of the mineral-rich Wild West zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Indonesia: Former lingerie model enters politics · Global Voices
Juke Carolina

Actress Yulia Rachmawati, popularly known as Julia Perez, is being championed by seven political parties in Indonesia to become the vice regent of Pacitan, an East Javanese regency. Julia is a soap actress, singer and former model who appeared in various magazines such as FHM, Maxim France, and Playboy Indonesia. Julia will run for the regency's top post with President Yudhoyono's cousin Nur Cahyono.
According to a report by Metro TV, Nurcahyono said that he's optimistic about the chances of his running mate [id] and that Julia won't be a problem for his extended family, however the family's representative stated the opposite.
Several Indonesian bloggers are questioning Julia's candidacy since she's neither a politician nor a Pacitan native.
Rifky wrote a post on Politikana, an online community for political savvy Indonesians, which summarized the coalition's reasons for appointing Julia as a candidate in the elections.
Berkenaan dengan majunya Jupe sebagai calon Wakil Bupati Pacitan itu, koalisi partai pendukungnya mempunyai alasan dan dasar pertimbangan dimana menurut mereka itu kehadirannya Jupe yang merupakan artis tingkat nasional itu akan memecah kebekuan politik yang terjadi di Pacitan.
Disamping itu, Jupe juga mempunyai wilayah pergaulan yang luas itu diharapkan kelak dapat mendatangkan investor ke Pacitan ini. Sehingga dapat menjadi solusi bagi pembangunan di Pacitan yang hingga saat ini terbilang belum berkembang, malahan cenderung tertinggal dibandingkan dengan kabupaten di sekitarnya.
Julia is a well known celebrity; she is secretly adored by many Indonesian men but she is deemed ‘“too  provocative” by Muslim organizations.
She made headlines in 2008 following her spat with Muslim organizations in some Indonesian cities which banned her from performing in a concert to promote her album titled “Kamasutra”. The organizations accused her of promoting immorality among youth by handing out a free condom tucked on the CD sleeves.
Blogger Wafi SL wonders if the current trend of appointing celebrities for political jobs could be translated as the country's shortage of credible politicians:
Setelah Ayu Azhari, sekarang giliran Julia Perez alias Jupe mencalonkan diri menjadi pejabat negara. Tak tanggung-tanggung, yang mendukungpun lumayan banyak yaitu 8 partai. Luar biasa!Fenomena yang tak bisa dianggap enteng. Karena itu menandakan partai politik telah gagal menciptakan kader politisi yang mumpuni sehingga jalan pintaspun diambil dengan cara menjadikan artis sebagai figur untuk meramaikan dunia politik. Kalau dulu artis hanya sebagai hiasan, sekarang telah berubah menjadi pelaku politik itu sendiri. Lha terus kadernya kemana saja?
Furthermore, Wafi predicts that in long run this so-called political blunder could make people lose their faith in politics even more:
Efek jangka pendek mungkin bisa dirasakan langsung oleh partai-partai pendukung artis semacam Jupe ini karena mungkin jumlah pemilih akan meningkat, terutama kaum pria. Tapi efek jangka panjang, apalagi jika Jupe gagal memperbaiki nasib rakyat-nya, maka saya berani menjamin akan menambah semakin banyaknya anggota “Partai Golput” seperti saya ini.
According to an East Javanese journal Surya, Julia is popular among first time voters. Sutikno, the coalition's representative said that many young people have become skeptical after witnessing how politicians and businessmen turned politicians have failed to empower the regency.
Groups supporting and against the actress’ candidacy have started to appear on Indonesia's current favorite social network Facebook.
Alip Priyono : Kira-kira seperti apa ya kalau bupati (wakil bupati) Pacitan nanti Julia  Perez? Kayaknya seru ya ngebayangin dia nanti mimpin rapat/upacara. Lebih seru lagi klo SBY nanti pensiun pulang ke Pacitan.
Putu Nova A Putra :  Di tivi ada berita Julia Perez mau dicalonkan sebagai bupati Pacitan-Jatim berpasangan dengan sepupu Pak SBY. Saya ga salah denger,ga salah lihat infotainment kan ya???? soale mata lagi merem-merem pas baru mau bangun sore. Mimpi Julia Perez lagi!!
Aan Ainur Rofik :  Susilo bambang Yudoyono (SBY) orang Pacitan setelah jadi TNI, Mentri trus sekarang Presiden RI setelah itu jadi artis kan habis ngeluarin Album, Lha sekarang Julia Perez  (JUPE) Setelah jadi artis ibukota eeeee jadi politisi maju Cawabub Pacitan….kita dukung Duet JUPE-SBY menjadi tokoh besarrrrrrrrrrrrr…….
Twitterers also react about the candidacy:
IraDalius Tuhan, dia siap tp kami TIDAK!  RT  @tweetdetik:  Modal Baca Buku, Julia Perez nyatakan siap menjd calon  Wakil Bupati Pacitan
marshacha: RT tweetdetik: Modal Baca  Buku,Julia Perez atau Jupe menyatakan siap menjadi calon  Wakil Bupati -> kalau gitu mah anak gw juga siaaap ….
indrapamungkas Start to think that Julia Perez doesn't necessarily worse than those dirty politician. At  least she can ‘entertain’ people.
In latest development, news portal Detik reported [id] that many legislators have expressed support for Julia.
Pacitan regency in East Java province is synonymous with two things: its orange variety and sleepy fisherman's villages. The hilly regency was relatively unknown until one of its natives, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was elected president.

author: Juke Carolina


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Japan: Sakura in bloom · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

The beauty of the cherry blossoms (sakura) in bloom is immortalized by Asiaimages’ pictures.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Kenya: Draft Constitution passed by parliament · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The latest on Kenya's Draft Constitution: “Parliament was predictably unable to summon the required quorum to get any of amendments passed, and the Draft Constitution was passed as is. Rather than vote yes or no on the proposed amendments, the MPs chose to walk out of an amendment that they didn’t support – again denying the public the right to know their position on a particular issue.”


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Nigeria; Jesus of Calabar · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Naijablog links to a story about the ”Jesus of Calabar.” Calabar is in Nigeria.


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Russia: April Fool’s Online Pranks · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Although the beginning of the week has been marked by the disaster and grief [RUS], Russian bloggers and computer geeks tried to leave some place in their lives for a smile. Below are few of the pranks proposed by bloggers and several software companies.
Blogger Smoking Observer published the photo of the new “Stealth” tank named T-90 “Ghost”:
T-90 "Ghost", collage by Smoking Observer
Russian leading search engine Yandex turned all the images in its images search upside down. Some bloggers thought [RUS] it was a browser's bug, however the date of the unusual “feature” spoke for itself.
Yandex upside-down pictures, screenshot by Pchel
Software company ABBYY that specializes in electronic translation services announced [RUS] that it was going to include a Na'vi language dictionary in the next release supporting the announcement with the Na'vi-like picture of one of the top-managers:
Naavi-like picture of Alexander Rylov, photo by ABBYY
Popular humor portal bash.org.ru changed its interface to Empire-Russian language (the style of writing existed before 1917):
Bashorg Empire-Russian interface, screenshot by Mithgol
Initial mistakes in the old-Russian orthography provoked a lengthy discussion [RUS] among bloggers.
Israelinfo.ru, a Russian-speaking Israeli portal, posted info [RUS] on the upcoming e-mail tax, proposed by Knesset.
But the most influential (and most make-believe) was a prank by popular portal “Novy Region” with the photo of missile launcher S-300 stuck in the puddle of mud:
S-300 in the puddle of mud, collage by Novy Region

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Sudan: Elections in Sudan is a logistical nightmare · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

South Sudan Info discusses the logistical challenges of holding elections in Sudan: “Considering that Sudan has not had elections since 1986, it is Africa’s largest country with vast regions among the least developed on the planet, election logistics are no simple matter.”


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Sudan: Is Sudan heading towards chaos? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

According to Ahmed Hassan Sudan is heading towards chaos: “It is apparent that what I mentioned about the shortsightedness of the Sudanese politics and politician is a major contributor to the way in which the events so developed in Sudan today.”


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Sudan: Music for free and peaceful elections · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Sudan Votes asked musicians from all areas of Sudan to produce songs to promote peaceful, political participation in the upcoming April elections, reports South Sudan Info.


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The Balkans: Similarities Between Facebook and Communist Party of Yugoslavia · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

In his customary funny style, Sead Dzigal provided a list [MKD] of similarities between Facebook and the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY):
.aNTI reacted through a comment [MKD], using a phrase often attributed to Vaclav Havel:
This post is filled with cliches and anti-communist propaganda. The only thing worse than the communists are the anti-communists.
Recenzent agreed, and trying to prove wrong the current anti-communist prejudices about how things changed, he noted [MKD]:
He also noted that passive “support” for various actions remains a staple of current political parties too, as well is fighting dissenters using conspiracy theories.
* The words friend and comrade are synonyms in most South Slavic languages, such as Macedonian, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian…

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Zambia: The state of Zambians’ personal use of the Internet · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“A strange thing has happened in the Zambian blogosphere. Rather than grow, it appears to have shrunk in recent times,” writes Zambian Economist in his post about the state of personal use of the Internet in Zambia.


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Arab World: iPad Fever Grips Arabia  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Got my iPad :D” tweets Khalid Alsudairy, a 22-year-old Saudi student studying in Boston.
Soon enough, the news travels across the region, with well wishers congratulating him on the feat. Saudi tech blog iPhad (Ar) takes a step further and interviews Alsudairy as being “among the first Arabs to own an iPad.”
Among the questions Alsudairy answered in the interview was this:
بالنسبة لاستخدامي للجهاز فاعتقد انه سيكون مقسم على قراءة الكتب، سماع الموسيقى ومشاهدة الفيديو وبعض الالعاب. لا اعتقد انه يخدم رجال الأعمال فهم يحتاجون لتطبيقات معقدة تحتاج كومبيوتر كامل لها.
A: I will use the iPad for reading books, and watching videos, and playing games. No, I don't think that it serves businessmen who will need complicated applications which need a complete computer.
In Kuwait, Mark too claims to be among the first iPad users.
248am's iPad
Writing at 248am, the blogger notes:
Just got hold of an iPad from X-Cite to review and check out. It just arrived from the States and it’s one of the first iPads in Kuwait. So far my first impression is that the iPad looks even cooler than the pictures, it’s really an incredible device I love it, the screen is amazing, better than the screen of my MacBook which I’m currently typing on.
Readers were quick to note the huge price difference between the US and Kuwait, with some opting to get their gadget from outside Kuwait instead.
Yousif writes:
the hell with Xcite for charging people more than twice the price! Just ordered it off Apple and getting it send to a me.
And Funny Story adds:
Which fool would pay twice the amount you can buy it for online?
Ridiculous.
Also in the comments section, Eagle has an explanation for the high price. He writes:
fyi, I went to the xcite store and asked the guys why is it priced so high over US prices. They said they actually few in some people carrying these machines from the US last night and the price incudes this cost. Considering Kuwait is the first country outside US to indroduce it, it is not too bad. It will only be released in the Middle East after 3 months. Now if you compare it to iPhone price, it isnt too bad!
Meanwhile, Kuwaiti N, who blogs at Up Till One, did not take these comments to heart and was quick to get her hands on the iPad – and post lots of pictures “unboxing” her new gadget.
And back to Mark, here is more information for iPad users in Kuwait.


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Bahrain: Defending the Kingdom  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Around 5,000 people from Bahrain have joined a Facebook group entitled: You don't deserve to live in a country you don't protect (Ar).


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Bhutan: Education Is A Struggle · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Education is free in Bhutan but individual struggle for education is costly”, comments Tomlax at Kuzu-Bhutan Weblog while describing his 15 year long struggle to get graduated.


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China: A cadre died in police custody · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Very often, there are news about the “un-natural death” of citizens during police custody. The latest case is the death of a middle range cadre in Yunnan. Will his death bring changes to the system? (more from GoKunming)

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Lying society · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Xujun from Inside-out China translated a local magazine's interview with Wu Si, the chief editor of an intellectual journal, Yanhuang Chunqiu. Wu accounted for the character of lying society by looking into traditional and contemporary Chinese political and governance system


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D.R. of Congo: Five misconceptions about Congo conflict · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Jason discusses five misconceptions about the conflict in the D.R. of Congo: “1. The conflict in the DRC is all about minerals. Not quite. The war began in 1996, with three main causes: the collapse of the Zairian state after 32 years of misrule; the spillover from the Rwandan genocide with a million refugees…”


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Ethiopia: Art exhibition inspired by Ethiopian immigrants · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“Wodi enna wedih” is an art exhibition on Ethiopian immigrants: “The highly experimental and stimulating art works using multimedia and installations are inspired by the plight of Ethiopian immigrants.”