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Bloggers & Nuclear Case · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Report on Iranian nuclear programme sent to United Nations Security Council by IAEA. Bloggers have a lot to share about this very important event.
Abtahi, former Vice President, (Persian) says peaceful nuclear energy is useful for country and it can empower Iran. But we should not destroy country for it. Some will consider my opinion a sign of fear. I prefer it to see my country gets destroyed. He says he prays that God protects Iran & Iranians from this dangerous situation.
Khanoumhana (Persian) says she neither likes Iranian state and its policies nor US which tries to impose us its rules. She adds we can not have any confidence in Iranian government on one side but on other side it is difficult to accept that a foreign country imposes its rule on Iran.
Alpar, a popular blog, writes nuclear problem is Iranian state’s problem and it must solve that. Iranian nation has never been asked to give her voice or opinion about nuclear energy. Iranian state has created this problem and Iranian nation should not be suffered because of that. Blogger prays God gives a little bit intelligence to Iranian rulers.
Behnoud writes about so called nuclear referendum. Blogger says :
“The Iranian media called the massive march of February 11th (the day of the victory of Iran 1979 revolution in 1979 that overthrew the monarchy and established an Islamic Republic) the “nuclear referendum” and a “national referendum”. The purpose behind these names appears to be aimed at strengthening the hand of the government in its talks with the international community over the country’s nuclear programs. But this approach raises the question of who is the target of this publicity, which in turn brings up other questions as well.”
If the target audience of this propaganda are foreign governments – specifically that of the United States and the Europeans – who are challenging Iran’s nuclear programs, then it must be said that both the governments and world public are well aware of such tactics practiced in the East.”
Hoder, Canada based blogger, tries to find a solution for problem. He says :
“Iran wants to do enrichment in its soil and the West doesn't accept it. So I have a suggestion: What if Iran declares one of its free trade zones, such as Gheshm, as an International zone completely governed by the UN with Iranian's co-operation? And then they do what aver nuclear research they want to do there, under the full inspection of the IAEA, while it's still inside Iran?”
Ashoob  (Persian), an Iran based blogger, would like to express himself by a Pink Floyd's song:
“Mother, do you think they'll drop the bomb?
Mother, do you think they'll like this song?
Mother, do you think they'll try to break my balls?
Mother, should I build a wall?”
In Hojreh's blog (Persian), a young cleric, we see a link to a site which promotes Peaceful Nuclear Energy in Persian. In this site, visitors have been asked to send an email to IAEA to say they want peaceful nuclear energy.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Bolivia: Podcast on Morales’ Inauguration · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Latino Movement USA Director Juan Jose Gutierrez recently gave a talk in Los Angeles, California about his experience at Bolivian President Evo Morales’ inauguration. In this podcast you can hear what Gutierrez has to say about Morales and the future of Bolivia.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: David Sasaki


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Cameroon: Colonial relics on display · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

France Watch questions the presence of a statue of French soldier in the center of Douala, Cameroon..”Does General Leclerc, a French soldier, deserve to be honored at the Bonanjo [Douala] independence square of all places, at the expense of Cameroonian martyrs such as Douala Manga Bell and Ngosso Din?

author: Sokari Ekine


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Caribbean: Another bad hurricane season? · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Bermuda-based photoblogger Tom Q reports that Reuters and MDA EarthSat Energy Weather are predicting “another year of potential category 5 hurricanes”.

author: Georgia Popplewell


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Caribbean: Cyncism and West Indies cricket · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Leon waxes cynical as the West Indies cricket team “snatch[es] defeat from the jaws of victory” and lose to New Zealand.


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Caribbean, South Africa: Miriam Makeba · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Caribbean-born sci-fi writer Nalo Hopkinson recalls childhood encounters with the music of the great South African singer Miriam Makeba, who'll be retiring soon.


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Chile: Paz Errázuriz · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Jon of PostHegemony introduces his readers to Chilean black and white photographer, Paz Errázuriz. He notes that most of her subject matter involve those who have been marginalized by society.


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China: God or Darwin? · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Bingfeng Teahouse cites a recent on-line poll on Sina (ZH) which showed around 35 percent of respondents saying that they believed in a form of universal intelligence as the architect of the universe, with more than half plumping for Darwinian evolutionary theory. Many also thought that to assent to the former was tantamount to a belief in creation by a divine energy, or God.

author: Luisetta Mudie


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China: China Digital Times blocked? · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Non-violent Resistance says that China Digital Times is now blocked in China, and that all the distrust created by the Massage Milk hoax has stopped anyone reporting on it.


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China: If at first you don’t succeed · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Need a fake mainland Chinese household registration card, marriage or divorce certificate, Hong Kong or Macau ID card, birth certificate, driver’s license or university degree? CSR Asia has the details.


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China: Punditry and peer pressure · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Danwei‘s Jeremy Goldkorn responds to comments on Bingfeng Teahouse, who was wondering if Goldkorn's approach to the Massage Milk hoax was conditioned by other Western writers, because he too imagined the blog had been closed by the authorities.


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China: The new yuan · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Asia Pundit wraps up his experience of the National People's Congress (NPC) with reflections on proposals to remove Mao Zedong's image from Chinese yuan notes, and assures his faithful readership that there is practically no chance of Jung Chang and Jon Halliday's Mao: The Untold Story making it as far as Tiananmen Square…


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Dating the Diaspora · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Oranckay picks up on a very specific post by a Chinese American businesswomen and wannabe wife and mother on an online dating site, drawing a variety of comments from visiting males.


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DRC: Elections news · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Adventures of a Retired Armchair Traveller has two election reports from the DRC – the deployment of EU troops to maintain peace during the elections and the yet another candidate who has declared himself – now there are some 20 altogether.


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Ethiopia: New leaders – same old autocrats · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Ethiopundit   comments on a report in the LA Times which likens the new African leaders to the autocrats of old..“Tens of thousands are in prison camps, thousands are dead and those who operated in a false democratic space supposedly guaranteed by the West are ‘on trial’ for their lives for the high crimes of treason, genocide and for all we know jaywalking.”


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Hong Kong: Urban myths and koans · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

ESWN translates a series of questions currently being asked of straight-A Hong Kong students by three of China's top universities now recruiting in the territory. Including: “If you are in a concert hall and a telephone rings next to you, what do you do?”


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Images from Brazil: “Don’t Shoot” · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Brazilian photographer and social activist, Tatiana Cardeal has posted a set of photographs related to the youth outreach program, Afroreggae. In this picture, Cardeal explains:
Here is Afroreggae group playing at the meeting, inside the headquarters of the military police of Rio de Janeiro, where they did a collective show, trying to approach the military policemen from the favela's people. A very very difficult challenge for both sides.
The Afroreggae website explains the group's objectives. (Scroll down for English translation)
Since the beginning and until the present day the objective that defined our institutional mission was clear: To offer a cultural and artistic formation for the youth living in the favelas (shantytowns/ slums) as a means for them to create their own citizenship and have access to alternatives to narco-trafficking and menial jobs, and to furthermore transform themselves and empower other youths along the way.
Finally, more information can be found about the musical group and social movement at The Independent.


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India: Picking up the phone · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Charu wonders why Mobile phone companies seem to suddenly advocate sensible mobile phone usage and behaviour.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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India: Slum demolition · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The Other India on a slum-demolition from the perspective of a person who teaches some of the young children through an NGO programme.


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Indonesia: Warnings for Women · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Noting that more and more women are starting to smoke, Indonesia Anonymus suggests some alternative warning labels that could scare off as many women as men.

author: Jose Manuel Tesoro


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Iran: Chaos in University · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Sharif Chaos, an Iran based blog, writes about government's plan to bury anonymous martyrs in Sharif University (Persian). Blog informs us that about 1000 students wanted to stop this event but Basij forces beat them up and buried anonymous martyrs in a mosque at the heart of famous Sharif University in Tehran.


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Iran: Google & Nowrouz · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Thanks to Salman's blog, first blog in Persian in history, I discovered a site which tries to promote Iranian New Year, Nowrouz, on Google. People are invited to send following letter to Google: Dear Google Team, We will be so grateful if Google would do us a favor and display special logo for the Persian New Year's celebration (Nowrouz) on its main page on March 20th and 21st.


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Japan, S. Korea: The Tao of baseball · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

The Tao of baseball, proposes Japundit, lies in balancing the energies of two familiar and bitter rivals through careful study and appreciation of the Korean flag.


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Kenya:  bloggers meet the mainstream · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

ThinkersRoom reports that the Kenyan Daily Nation featured Kenyan bloggers “My one gripe — a very healthy imagination on the party of the author. I’m not 29. At no time did I divulge my age, or indeed anything personal about myself. Check your facts, ladies and gentlemen, check your facts”


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Kenya: solar electrification project  · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Afromusing notes the building of a “massive solar based rural electrification of at least 88 villages is expected to be rolled out countrywide mid this year”  in Kenya.


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Liberia: Refugees · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

The Vision insists that refugees must have a say in the running of  Buduburam refugee Settlement in Liberia....”It is also time that things become more proactive by giving refugees the chance to be part of some policy drafting which references the settlement since these policies are geared toward the welfare of the refugees themselves.


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Malaysia: Racial Politics · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Ktemoc Konsiders discusses Malaysia's race-based politics. “Opportunistic, avaricious and deliberately divisive politics has screwed up our opportunity of a Bangsa Malaysia. Some of us go around saying proudly “I am Malaysian”, yet the truth is that does ring somewhat hollow in our own ears!”


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Mexico: Third Wealthiest Man in the World · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Eduardo Arcos points out that Mexican telecommunications monopolist, Carlos Slim was recently listed by Forbes as the third richest man in the world after Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.


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Nepal: Colours and Holi · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Even as Nepal pulls through violence and conflict, the festival of Holi brings some respite. Photo post at United We Blog!


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Nigeria: blog about blogging · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Ore's Notes blogs about blogging and points to a BBC site that provides an overview of blogging tools that are popular...”Blogging, wikis and podcasting have become popular ways to create an online presence and share ideas with a cyber audience”


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Nigeria: Impoding? · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Black Star Journal comments on an article in the Atlantic magazine that “speculates on the possible implosion of Nigeria and the possible reaction of the US government in the world's sixth largest oil producer”


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Nigeria: No freedom for press · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Chippla reports on the the impounding by security forces of an essay by Nigerian journalists who criticised the President's campaign for a third term.


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Pakistan: Basant celebrations · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Shirazi at Light Within weaves brilliant images of Basant and celebrations in Pakistan.


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Philippines: The Long View · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Another Hundred Years Hence takes the long view of the evolution of Philippine politics. Despite the upheavals, the long-term trend is positive: “the comfort is that chaos on the surface is generated by the friction in the deeper layers.”


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Romania: Hungary Day · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Tomorrow is the day when Hungarian nationalists in Udvarhely, a Romanian city whose population is 98% ethnic Hungarian, may clash with their Romanian counterparts, reports Andy H of Csikszereda musings: “[…] And once again the fact that broadly speaking Hungarians and Romanians live together fairly successfully and without rancour, will be obscured by a bunch of nationalist scum – Vadim Tudor will get his publicity, as will the Szekely Autonomists, and everyone on the extremes is happy. Everyone caught in the middle gets screwed. […]” Freezing temperatures and the lack of media attention might prevent the clashes, but are unlikely.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: Bulgakov · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

W. Shedd of The Accidental Russophile writes about Mikhail Bulgakov, his work, and a TV series based on one of his most famous novels that has made the sales of the book itself soar.


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Russia: Cold Spring · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Lyndon of Scraps of Moscow quotes his St. Petersburg friend on what spring feels like: “It's very cold everywhere, we drink tea mixed with vodka and minimaze [sic] our moving around the city.” Snowsquare.com posts pictures of ice sculpture in the garden of one of Moscow's banks.


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Russia: Folk Tales and Mushroom Lore · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Novgorod-based RUBLog (recently renamed into Travel Russia!) links to a site featuring Russian folk tales in English, including the one about Sadko, a bard from Novgorod. The Accidental Russophile links to a site dedicated to the “Russian mushroom lore” and reproduces several well-known Russian folk tale illustrations.


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Russia: Moscow Subway in 2100 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LJ user Petya Favorov reproduces a map of the Moscow subway that shows what it might look like by the year 2100. Some commenters (RUS) agree that it is more or less realistic.


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Russia: “Seven Sisters” – Part 1 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Digenis has begun an 11-part series on the history of the the Seven Sisters, the Moscow skyscrapers built in the 1950s, which are considered to be “the epitome of Stalinist Architecture and Socialist Classicism.”


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Russia: “The 9th Platoon” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Charlie Ganske of Russia Blog reviews “The 9th Platoon,” an extremely expensive and popular Russian movie about the 1980s war in Afghanistan.


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Russia: Unreliable Police · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Alex(ei) of The Russian Dilettante's Weblog writes about Russian citizens’ mistrust of the police.


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Serbia & Montenegro: Dispute on the Future of Montenegro · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Over at A Fistful of Euros, Doug Muir argues against the independence of Montenegro and Brussels Gonzo disagrees with him.


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Singapore: Heart of Asia · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

After reading a local business paper refer to Singapore as the “heart of Asia,” Mr. Wang cautions against the use of such self-congratulatory terminology: “The best place to start climbing towards success is right where you are – not where you imagine yourself to be.”


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Slovenia: Swedish Paper Solves Slovenia-Croatia Border Dispute · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Michael of The Glory of Carniola reports on how yet another newspaper has lost Slovenia on the map.


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Sudan: Time for war is up · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

The African Union tells fighters at Sudan peace talks that their time is up….If they can reach an agreement this may pave the way for the deployment of  UN peacekeepers  .  Sudan Watch


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Tajikistan: Economic Education · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

“Tajik Boy” writes that he hopes that Tajik educators currently in the US learning about the delivery of economics education pick up valuable skills to bring back to Tajikistan.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Thailand: Struggling with Buddhism · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Paul at thai-blogs.com worries about the state of Buddhism in Thailand: “it seems that for many people Buddhism is about merit making. About giving money to monks and about trying to improve your own social status. Sorry but to me this is not Buddhism.”


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This Week in Palestinian Blogs: Children are Not Immune · Global Voices
Shaden Abdulrahman

Happy Women's Day to every Palestinian woman who has lost a father, brother, son or a husband. To all Palestinian women who are still languishing inside the Israeli prisons waiting for justice.
Palestinian women commemorate women's day to highlight their struggle and show perseverance in fighting the Israeli occupation on one hand and the discrimination they face by Palestinian political and social authorities on the other.
Daoud Kuttab says this year celebrations had a different taste after Hamas won the elections:
The victory of ….. has reinvigorated Palestinian civil society in general and the women's movement in particular. This year's pro-women march in Ramallah, which ended with a meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas, was well attended, by nearly a thousand women, interestingly many of them with headscarves.
See pictures on the soul unfolds itself.
“Amdist the decay, there is always beauty lurking not far behind.”
Photo Credit: Raising Yousuf
News of the blogosphere
Little Yousuf (Laila el-Haddad of Raising Yousuf‘s son) has just turned two last week on the 5 March 2006. Watch him help making his birthday cake before he finally eats it.
Yesterday in Gaza and according to Laila of Raising Yousuf, dozens of taxi drivers protested to the hike in fuel prices. They have announced a strike, burned tires, blocked roads and refused to transport people to jobs and schools.
From International Solidarity Movement, Palestinian activist and non-violent protests organizer, Mohammed Mansour faces his 11th tiral after being accused of throwing stones, encouraging others to throw stones and involving in illegal demonstrations inside the West Bank back in 2004. Mansour suffered from heart attack only one week ago due to repeated harassments and court appearances.
His trial which was scheduled on the 21st of March had been changed to 8th of March without any reason.
From Sabbah's Blog, Israeli political party Kadima has recently converted a part of the Ahmar Mosuque in Safad into a center for the group. Al Aqsa Society strongly condemns the take over of the mosque which was built by Thaher Pepers in 1275.
Also from Sabbah's Blog, “My name is Rachel Corrie” which was scheduled to open on the 22 March 2006 was postponed indefinitely sparking much debate. Haitham Sabbah echoes Rache's mother question: Why are people so afraid of Rachel Corrie’s words?
What we talk about
Laila el-Haddad of Raising Yousuf has met Palestinian Prime Minister Mr. Ismail Haniyah talking about her first impression she says:
My first impression of Haniya (besides his towering height) was his warmth and casual demeanor. I also couldn’t help noticing his eyes….They are these soft emerald-grey-green colour that somehow leave you at ease when you talk to him
thecutter from peacepalestine says pro-Israeli bias in Italy is a program.
From Sugar Cubes, a UN expert says Jewish settlers terrorize Palestinians.
From Raising Yousuf, Laila vents out her frustration and exhaustion of being there:
It’s not so much one single event, but rather the sum total of a series of every day seemingly insignificant incidents that make up the occupation in all its ugliness and brutality and take their insidious toll on you
On the horrific incident of the two children killed in the attack by an unmanned Israeli drone Laila says:
It killed the intended “targets”…But it also killed three others. Including two children-brothers, 8-year-old Raed Al-Batch and his 15-year-old brother Ala. They were with their mother at the time. She lived, only to learn that she lost two boys. At once.
On the same news Naseem Tarawnah of the Black Iris of Jordan says:
As for these kids they just murdered, I guess this is what Mofaz meant when he told army radio: “No one is immune”
And Will of KABOBfest says:
This shows the claim that Israel never targets civilians to be utter propaganda. It fired rockets at an ice cream truck, for crying out loud
Earlier and as reported by Sugar Cubes and KABOBfest, Isreali defence minister Mofaz threatened to assassinate Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh .
nasrawi talks about the attack on the Basilica of the Annunciation in Al-Naserah (Nazareth):
To treat Druze as non-Arab, to inflame tensions over the Sha'ab il-Diin square in Nazareth so as to pit Christian against Muslim, to portray Muslims as barbarians and Christians as being more peace-loving; this has always been official policy of the State so as to weaken a popular movement against the State's discriminatory strategies and to lower the voice of a united Arab people. However, no one is fooled.
On Sunday the 4th of March and as re-reported by The Black Iris of Jordan, Palestinian Christians marched the streets of Al-Naserah in protests demanding the protection of holy sites. According to nasrawi, Muslim inhibitants of the Biblical city were among the protesters.
Welcome to Baqa'a Refugee Camp reports that a child detainee Qassam Abu Baker, 15 year-old had one of his fingers cut off during interrogation to make him admit that he threw stones at soldiers according to his family.
karmalised says Jerry Falwell claimed Jews can get to heaven only if they believe in Jesus. karmalised wonders how will Televangelist John Hagee and Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg will spin Falwell‘s revelation after he denied to have accepted and adopted the “dual covenant” theology as Hagee had previously claimed:
How will Hagee and his good friend Bibi Netanyahu spin that revelation?…Will Hagee and the other theme park entrepreneurs lose their permit to build and be maligned by the press?
Probably not. Only Christians who've co-existed with Muslims for 14 centuries get that treatment.
From Raising Yousuf, a new video by B'Tselem (The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories), testimonies of Israeli soldiers talking about open fire regulations show that:
soldiers receive intentitonaly ambiguous orders about when and how they are to use their weapons, giving the soldiers flexiblity, a high civlian death toll, and immunity from responsiblity. It is a policy Btselem calls “lethal ambiguity”.
From the Black Iris of Jordan, a February story for you:
One day before Valentine’s Day, ‘Annan’s father went to his 13-year-old son’s school…and only found his…jacket and backpack on the school grounds. Along with four other boys ranging from the ages of 11 to 14, ‘Annan had been arrested by Israeli soldiers…
The blogosphere is also talking about Sharon Stone's visit to Israel to sponsor peace and celebrate International Women's Day by setting a feminist example.
umkahlil talks about how the cultural boycott of Israel might earn you an anti-semitic smear:
Boycott Israel and brace for the anti-Semitic smear. That's what happened to personnel at this Dance Magazine.
Jews sans frontieres talk about Roger Waters's (artist Pink Floyd) refusal to call off his concernt in Tel Aviv saying:
Roger: I would not rule out going to Israel because I disapprove of the foreign policy any more than I would refuse to play in the UK because I disapprove of Tony Blair's foreign policy.
Levi: A. This is isn't just about foreign policy. B. Who asked him to call off UK gigs?
On the same issue, umkahlil says in a post titled “Another Brick in the Monstrous Wall”:
no walls will be tumbling down any time soon unless world class artists take a principled stand as they did for apartheid South Africa.
On everything else
KABOBfest blogs the story of a successful operation in the land of “death and courage” (Iraq) called Ofti:
acclaimed ABC News blogger Jake Tapper reported today that Operation Ofti was a major success! For those unaware, Ofti is “the skankiest bazzoona from the backalleys of Baghdad” – in other words, a stray cat.
karmalised talks about the state-sponsored terrorism in Iraq. Quoting Stephen Zunes:
there is little evidence to suggest that US trainers have actively encouraged death squad activity.
From Sabbah's Blog, The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) protects torture in Abu Gharib, Guantanamo Bay’s Camp X-Ray, and many Israeli detention centers with its confidentiality policy:
The policy, in effect, allows ICRC to politely ask torturers to stop torturing, while promising not to tell the rest of the world
The little things that matter
The Black Iris of Jordan says students at Birzeit and Al-Najah Universities came togther to find the Right to Education Photography Project. The photographs which they have taken aiming at visualizing and documenting Palestinian students’ life under occupation, have become now an exhibition and a book touring Palestinian and international venues.
By The Black Iris of Jordan too, Made in Palestine:
is the first museum-quality exhibition devoted to the contemporary art of Palestine to be held in the United States.
To visit the exhibition from 14-23 March 2006, contact the visiting artist Zuhdi al-Adawi through email or call 646-584-9098
Haitham Sabbah of Sabbah's Blog and following up on the pledge to add Palestine to different blogging services, Haitham says that blogger.com has kept its promise and finally added Palestine to its country drop down list.
From KABOBfest, KABOBfashion presents the latest of Nemi Jamal‘s designs, in which she takes the traditional hutta beyond gas masks making it the bandanna of today.

author: Shaden Abdulrahman


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Trinidad &  Tobago: Defending the Soca Warriors · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Stacy-Marie Ishmael leaps to the defense of Trinidad & Tobago's football team, who will be contesting their first World Cup this coming June and are proving to be the butt of more than a few jokes.


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Ukraine: TV Debates · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LEvko of Foreign Notes makes predictions on what the upcoming TV debates between the Ukrainian politicians are going to be like.


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Ukraine: “Wrong Adjectives” To Describe Yushchenko · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Peter Byrne of Abdymok points out the “wrong adjectives” used to describe Ukraine's president Victor Yushchenko in a Wall Street Journal piece on his relationship with former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.


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Venezuela: Sabana Grande promenade · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Caracas-resident Barbadian Campfyah goes walking along Sabana Grande, where she runs into illegal vendors, roving coffee vendors, chess players and other denizens of the well-known strip. She posts photos as well.


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Barbados: Negrocrat · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

The controversy surrounding Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur's use of the word “negrocrat” will not die, says Barbados Free Press.


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Africa: Corporate reports · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Jewels in the Jungle comments on couple of reports from the corporate world and Africa – a general one on corruption and one from Equatorial Guinea’ - plenty of links for futher information.


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Argentina: Buenos Aires in 3D · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Argentine media professor, Julian Gallo posts slides (ES) of a 3D overlay of Buenos Aires for Google Earth created by architecture student, Ezequiel Galotti.


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Armenia: Progress · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Zarchka reports that there are  small signs of progress in the music played on Armenian transit.


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Armenia: “Rabiz” · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Christian Garbis writes about the music, social stereotype, and culture of “rabiz” in Armenia.


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Armenia: The Cost of Dying · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Zarchka writes about the cost of dying in Armenia.


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Bangladesh: Tagore in a podcast · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Bongo Vongo presents podcasts of Rabindranath Tagore's work -“This first of that series is from a collection of his short stories which were published in the west around 1916 and entitled ‘The Hungry Stones and Other Stories’.”


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Belarus: “Denim Revolution” Unlikely to Succeed · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean Guillory guest-blogs at Publius Pundit on the upcoming election in Belarus: current president Aleksandr Lukashenko, opposition leader Aleksandr Milinkevich, opposition youth group “Zubr” – and the unlikeliness of another color revolution, the “denim” one.


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Belarus: Early Vote, Transportation and the Arrests · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

br23 blog does a quick roundup on the state of Belarus five days before the election: early voting; tickets to Minsk for the coming Sunday; and the new arrests. He also writes about last Sunday's arrest of a Ukrainian TV journalist while she was filing her report live from Minsk.


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Belarus: Kozulin Controversy · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Tobias Ljungvall writes about the controversy surrounding Aleksandr Kozulin, one of the presidential candidates; a discussion ensues in the comments section.


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Belarus: Milinkevich in Pinsk · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Adam Goodman of Being Had has attended a meeting with Aleksandr Milinkevich in Pinsk. Here's his impression of the main opposition candidate: “[…] He is like a college professor who is trying to be nice but in reality would rather be somewhere working on his next book rather than dealing with the problems of idiot students. […]” Adam's “reasonably accurate translation of the speech” is here.


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Belarus: Pre-Election News; Rally in NYC  · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Andrei Khrapavitski reports on the arrest of the editor of a Belarusian Polish Diaspora magazine in Minsk; a Russian printing company's refusal to print a number of Belarusian papers; and the regime's ominous preparations for the upcoming vote. Andrei also announces (BEL) that a rally in support of democracy in Belarus will be held at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 19, by the United Nations Headquarters in New York (First Avenue and 43nd Street).


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Bermuda: The ABCs of DSL · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

As Bermuda's DSL provider starts running newspaper ads touting the excellence of its service, the service starts getting patchy — and the Limey reminds them that competition is on the horizon.


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Bolivia, Peru, Colombia: Coca · Global Voices
David Sasaki

A small Andean plant which was once used to flavor Coca-Cola, continues to make waves across the Western Hemisphere. Niko Kyriakou, writing from Caracas, describes the cultural and legal differences between South America and North America regarding the plant, which can be refined to make cocaine. Wall Street Cafe says that Peruvian presidential candidate Ollanta Humala's idea to feed hungry children illogical because coca leaves induce a loss of apetite. Jeanette Irwin got a good laugh when Bolivian President Evo Morales handed Condolezza Rice a guitar inlaid with coca leaves. Not wanting to disappoint hardliner Álvaro Uribe, Steven Taylor has a photo of Morales gifting the Colombian president a portrait of Simon Bolívar made out of coca leaves.


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Caucasus: Education · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

At young caucasus women, young women from Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia discuss issues related to education in their countries.


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Cayman Islands: Brokeback hypocrisy · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Cayblogger is less tongue-in-cheek than usual in his response to a Cayman Islands pastor's views on “Brokeback Mountain”.


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China: An Altaic legend · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Musing Under the Tenement Palm tracks down the source of a commonly reported “factoid” that China claimed to have invented skiing on the basis of ancient Altaic cave-paintings of Stone-Age hunters on skis in its northwestern regions.


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China: Massage Milk blunder · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

ESWN has a chortle over a Chinese media report which gloats over the ease with which Massage Milk and Milk Pig kidded Western media into thinking they had been the victims of government censorship. After lecturing the readers on the importance of research, ChinaNews/Xinhua gets the gender of one of the bloggers wrong, he notes.


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China: Plunder of the past · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Angry Chinese Blogger reports on the The Lost Cultural Relics Recovery Program, a mainland Chinese NGO and subsidiary of the China Foundation for the Development of Folklore Culture. Founded in October 2002, the group has since dedicated itself to locating Chinese cultural artifacts that were taken by foreigners, and to raising the funds necessary to return them to the mainland.


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Colombia: Election Analysis · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Adam Isacson has eight observations on the results of Colombia's Sunday elections.


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Commonwealth Games · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Regan liveblogs the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, which took place last night in Melbourne, Australia.


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Dominican Republic: Trivia questions · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Bracuta posts a list (ES) of Dominican Republic-specfic trivia questions.


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DRC: Missing Opposition Party Members · Global Voices
Alice Backer

UDPS Liege, the blog of the Liege chapter of opposition party UDPS reports (FR) that some UDPS members have been missing since a  peaceful  demonstration the party held Friday in Kinshasa.  The missing members are: Asimbu Pierre, Olivier Mushita, Johnny Tshiamalenga and Emmanuel Luboya.  The latter two members are law students who were reportedly taken away by university police during the protest.

author: Alice Backer


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DRC: Philippe Liondjo Urges UDPS Leader to Officialize Candidacy · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Renouveau Congolaisand Le Blog du Congolais post (FR) letters by Banacongo member Philippe Liondjo urging opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi to register his presidential candidacy by the March 23 deadline.  The letters  also ask that Tshisekedi abandon his demand that voter registration be reopened.


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DRC: Shots of Kinshasa and East Kasai · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Renouveau Congolais posts  (FR) pictures of the poorly maintained streets of Kinshasa, the DRC's capital. Poster wonders whether the current transitional government will deliver on its promise to turn Kinshasa into a modern city if permanently elected.  Mostly, poster asks why international aid money has not been used on improving the city.  Renouveau also posts  (FR) additional shots of  Mbuji-Mayi, the capital of East Kasai province, to supplement last week's album.


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Ecuador: Protests Against Free Trade · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Protests have engulfed Ecuador, prompting the resignation of interior minister, Alfredo Castillo and leaving Lisa wondering how she will get from Latacunga to Quito.


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Ethiopia: Drought update · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Meskel Square posts another report on drought striken Oromia and Somali regions – a small amount of rain has fallen.


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Ethiopia: oil exploration  · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Redeem Ethiopia comments on the commencement of oil exploration in Ethiopia.  He is particularly concerned over the “Many warning alarms have already been given against the dangerous marriage of convenience that is developing between the present illegitimate Ethiopian government and Asian oil interests”


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Excerpts from Some Nigerian Weblogs this Week · Global Voices
Imnakoya

“Adherence is everything” in HIV treatment, according to Kid’s Doc in Jos, a blog authored by an expat pediatrician, Dr Mike Blyth. He states:
“The key to a long-term suppression of the virus is to keep it from multiplying, because multiplying means mutating, and mutating means developing resistance to the drugs. So a large part of our effort must be directed toward doing everything we can to ensure that our patients are able and determined to take every dose. The situation is so critical that missing one or two doses during one month can spell drug failure and ultimately death for the patient…”
The blog- The Musings of a Naija Man discusses the Big Brother Nigeria, a new TV show in Nigeria. He states :
“I've never understood the fascination with Big Brother, having not watched any of the series shown in the UK since I arrived here. I tried once, but sitting for ten minutes watching a group of people lying on sunloungers and not saying or doing very much soon had me bored out of my skull. It's interesting how here, although everyone condemns the show as mindnumbingly dull and voyeuristic, you can't avoid the hype- in the newspapers (and not just the tabloids), on the radio, everywhere you go, people keep talking about it, and so whether you watch it or not, you get sucked into the drama. Perhaps, the good thing about Big Brother Nigeria might be that it might provide some of the anthropological insights into contemporary Nigerian youth culture which sadly aren't really being documente elsewhere. Sex has always played a big role in Big Brother and so it will be interesting to see what happens in the Nigeria house and how the self-avowedly religious Nigerian public will react….”
In a post titled “Akata…..= to the N word”,  the blog Memoir discusses some commonly used words in the Nigerian parlance-
“So Akata is a derogatory word and so are Kokoye and Chinko! I am guilty as charged when it comes to these words. I never used them in a derogatory manner though……at least not intentionally. But one of my girl friends said its equivalent to black people being referred to as Niggars! Well I’ll be damned! I certainly have no desire to make others feel like I would if the N word was used one me! But just think about how many times we drop those words, especially in the Naija community without batting an eye, it’s almost as if we are addressing them by their Government name. I wonder if other folks have a name they use to group Nigerian as well. I know even within our country, we do. An Igbo chick is quick to say “hmm… Yoruba girls” and turn their nose like it’s a bad word! And I know I am guilty of “Omo igbo” then there is Aboki…[slang Hausa/Fulani person] now that is definitely derogatory….. It even sounds bad. The other day one of my best friends who is from Edo State said “Bola, why did you bring all your Ngbati, Ngbati [slang for Yoruba people] people to my house!” LMAO! The nonsense girl has an Ngati husband o! But on the real…I will make a conscious effort, to refrain from using those words. Na wa o…..there goes half my vocabulary!”
Black looks writes about Immigration and the plight of immigrants “Dying to Reach Spain” stating “more than 250  immigrants  traveling in 6 small boats have landed in  Grand Canaries and Andalucia in the past 24 hours.”
“The  numbers of Africans reaching Spain in the past year has gone up by 200%.  Spanish TV news  reported that there are presently some 10,000 people waiting in Mauritania to make the crossing to Grand Canaries.  45 people  men died in two crossing incidents last week off the coast of Mauritania.  Many of the bodies were washed up on the beach whilst others were picked out of the sea by local fisherman.    Because of the increased security in Morocco and the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, Mauritania and the southern part Western Sahara have become the new departure points for mainly West Africans to reach Spain…The possibility of being sent back or even worse, death is no deterrent. I personally know of one young man who has traveled backwards and forwards between Morocco, Greece, Cyprus, Germany and back again.  I am not sure where he is now, but every once in a while I get a text telling me which country he is now in.  He is surprisingly optimistic and if lucky he gets to work for a few  weeks here and there.  Wondering Europe  in search of  a better life but so far never quite making it.”
The Nigerian Times in a blog titled “Echoes of Civil War in NIgeria” states the “the latest news on the horrifying and terrifying conflicts in Nigeria cannot be waved off in dismissal as another false alarm. Because, the dangers of another civil war erupting in Nigeria are clearly visible as a house on fire at noon.”
“The goriest riots over the controversial Danish Cartoons of Prophet Muhammad occurred in Northern and Eastern Nigeria and over 180 people were killed, including innocent mothers and their children. Then, the daring militants on the prowl in the creeks of the Niger Delta have been holding the nation hostage. Because, Nigeria is actually the real hostage of these invincible militants who have killed over 20 Nigerian soldiers and policemen among other casualties. The foreign hostages are just their bargaining chips. The fact that the Nigerian government cannot address the legitimate demands of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) shows the ineptitude of the leadership of the Nigerian government. And instead of addressing the emergencies in the country, the President is busy using all the tricks of his stock-in-trade as a crooked politician of dubious nature to perpetuate his reign of infamy and ignominy.”
The blog- Oluniyi Ajao uses some Nigerian adages to describe the 3rd term saga in Nigeria stating “ ‘A dog that is about to get lost, does not listen to the hunter’s whistle’. This is a Yoruba adage I have  translated into English. In one of Chinua Achebe’s novels, he  used a proverb: ‘Those whom the gods want to purnish, he first makes mad’”.
He discusses President’s Obasanjo’s 3rd term agenda further:
“Sadly, some Nigerian honorables have approved the third term bid. In all fairness to the President, he has not publicly declared his intention to go for a third term but the Obasanjo I know would have since come out to tongue-lash the people push him to it, if he didn’t support it. All those doing this should know that the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not an exclusive preserve of one individual, or a particular tribe or political party.”
It is indeed of utmost surprise that the government of Mr. Obasanjo is trying to silence intellectual debate about the consequences of an amendment to the Nigerian constitution that would enable him stay in power beyond 2007. This is reminiscent of dictatorial tricks of the past which several Nigerians fought against, some paying the ultimate price.
Finally, Chippla’s Weblog in a post titled “In God’s Nigeria” states “despite having been ruled for a greater part of its history by military despots, Nigeria has always had a free and vibrant press.”
“…Surprising news from Reuters that the Nigerian State Security Service has “detained a printer and impounded thousands of copies of an essay which was critical of a campaign for [the Nigerian] President Olusegun Obasanjo to prolong his hold on power.” The report further states that the essay : “…warned Obasanjo of the parallels between Nigeria and other African countries such as Ivory Coast and Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire, where leaders’ refusal to hand over power had led to civil war.”It is indeed of utmost surprise that the government of Mr. Obasanjo is trying to silence intellectual debate about the consequences of an amendment to the Nigerian constitution that would enable him stay in power beyond 2007. This is reminiscent of dictatorial tricks of the past which several Nigerians fought against, some paying the ultimate price.
Chippla  deduces that “you can almost certainly expect the government to say that it prevented the essay from being printed and distributed on grounds of ‘national security’” Such an argument would likely be baseless and fail to win any ground in a court of law.” He muses “what threat could be greater to Nigeria's national security today than the fraudulent manipulation of the constitution by elected officials, which is currently in progress”?

author: Imnakoya


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Guyana: Media attack · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

MediaCritic wonders what's behind the “unrestrained and overt attack” by the Stabroek News on the current administration. “Is there an ulterior motive,” he asks, “or are they just responsbile media bringing the facts of life to the public?”


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Guyana, Trinidad: Festival of Holi · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

The Kyk-Over-Al blog profiles the Hindu festival of Holi, as celebrated in Guyana, Trinidad and around the world.


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Haiti: “Failing Haiti”, the documentary · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Haiti-Cuba-Venezuela Project weighs in on the documentary “Failing Haiti” and the goings-on in and around a screening of the film in Washington DC.


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India: Ideas to campaign against street harassment · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

After the exceptional response to the Blog-a-thon on street harassment, the Blank Noise Project invites ideas on campaigns, opinion polls and specific activities that could be undertaken to carry on the awareness and advocacy.


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Jamaica: Audio excerpt from a novel · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Jamaican writer Geoffrey Philp posts an audio recording of himself reading a sequence from his novel Benjamin, My Son.


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Japan: How to become a Japanese citizen · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Japundit highlights a book by U.S.-born Arudou Debito, formerly David Christopher Aldwinckle, about how he  went to live in Japan and became a citizen of that country.


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Japan: Out of the tunnel · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Miyakonojo takes note of the lengthening spring days, and the shortening weeks until his wedding day. “Over the last ten days the glow of the center of our solar system has been creeping back into my life,” he writes.


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Kenya: podcast from diaspora · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Kenyan blogger Mental Acrobatics produces his first podcasts – expect many more from him and surely other African bloggers will follow through – good stuff.


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Kyrgyzstan: Revolution Day · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

The Golden Road to Samarqand reports on the planning of festivities to mark the first anniversary of Kyrgyzstan's revolution, in which protests caused the collapse of Askar Akaev's government.


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Latvia: March 16 Marches Banned in Riga · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

All About Latvia reports on the problems associated with the Legionaires’ Day celebration on March 15 and 16. Riga city council has refused to allow ultranationalists to march on these days; the Freedom Monument, a common destination, is closed down for repairs; the marches are likely to take place despite the ban: “This is what’s so frustrating about this attitude toward liberties in Latvia. Most people are under impression that freedom means being exempt from obeying the law. It is doing whatever the hell you please with little regard for the government, or anyone else.”


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Mexico: Oil Discovered Off Veracruz Coast · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Arturo de Albornoz of Olganza describes a new reserve of oil (ES) discovered in deep waters off the coast of Veracruz. Chris of Cuaderno Latinoamericano says that the find is a boon to state-owned energy company PEMEX which has been borrowing heavily in recent years. Meanwhile, Portside recently commented that many of those who live in the Veracruz petrol corridor are among the nation's poorest.


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Mohamed Choukry and Jill Carol ..Remembered in the Moroccan blogosphere · Global Voices
Farah Kinani

Last week was a very active one in the Moroccan blogosphere. Different subjects interested the Moroccan bloggers from Jill Carol‘s liberation to the the sexual education for kids.
Islam, as usual, was among the hot topics especially after the media, in the international level, are giving the opportunity to anyone to criticise this religion considered by some observers as the  fastest growing religion in the world.
Arab internet woes
Soumiaz is a journalist who blogs and  her latest post is a campaign for the liberation of Jill Caroll, the American journalist abducted in Iraq.
Jill did not think twice about going to Iraq, because she did not want to take packaged news but rather experience it herself. She refused to believe that Muslims and Arabs are as barbaric as portrayed in the media, and chose to give us a chance to make our case.
IBAHRINE posts an article about Arab internet woes. And the question he's asking is Why, with such a young population, is the Arab world still lagging behind when it comes to the digital revolution?
So increasing digital literacy, and getting Arabs online, is going to require that holy grail of the internet: massively sticky, Arab-language content and a means to access it that is at once fast, easy and affordable.
Another post related to Arabs and the internet is written by Zainabi. Its title is “Bezzaf” a Moroccan expression that  can be translated as “fed up!”. Well, the reason is that Zainabi found out that most of the words that Moroccans research in the internet are sex related(French).
It's disgusting!
Islam..again?
Is it fair to love our religion just because we are scared? Asks Jihane who lately found a weird CD (French) on her desk “featuring” two bodies of two young men. One of them was pious while the other used to listen to music!
Why is  Wafa Sultan, a 47-year-old Southern California woman, suddenly in the news as a fresh voice of reason and reform about Islam? well, Lebaroude is posting about the video where this American of Syrian origins harshly criticized Islam as violent(French).
Karim of ARAB OBSERVERS posts about the systematic destruction of islamic historical landmarks at the hands of wahabi zealots and real estate speculators.
For bread alone..
Mchicha writes about Mohamed choukry's “le pain nu” or “For bread alone” the novel that  Tennessee Williams described as a true document of human desperation. Mchicha is discovering one of the most popular Moroccan writer, and while reading the best seller book,  she remembers how important is the sexual education for kids instead of letting them seek answers from the street(French).
Slix posts very nice Amazigh poem(French) with its French translation.
You told me you can't see
yet you showed me hope
You told me you can't laugh
yet you make me smile
…
Moorishgirl posts about Ed Champion's literary podcast, the Bat Segundo Show that has reached its first silver anniversary.
Coup de coeur
I was very amazed to find out about a new portal dedicated to the development of the social life in Morocco. What was more surprising for me  is that many Moroccan bloggers participate  very actively in this special portal Tanmia(Arabic & French), an arabic word which means development.
I would also like you to enjoy  nice photographs of old Morocco  in the View from Fez.
That's it for today. See you next Wednesday, Inshallah.

author: Farah Kinani


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Mongolia: Mining · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Shards of Mongolia says that mining is big business in Mongolia, and it looks to get bigger if the country does in fact sit on the world's largest gold and copper reserves. The government is trying to make sure that the country's mineral wealth benefits Mongolians.


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Mongolia: New Political Party · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Shards of Mongolia notes that Mongolia is one political party richer.


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Nepal: Maoists on the move · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

United We Blog! with a photo-post on – “Images from around Nepal that tell the stories of sufferings and depict the activities of CPN Maoist rebels who are launching a ‘people’s war’ to overthrow the monarchy.“


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Nigeria: blogging in Yoruba · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Adefunke on Adefunke blogs on the prospect of  blogging in her mother tongue, Yoruba as she reads the first Yoruba blog,  Omo Obokun, and of course there is Yoruba google also.


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Nigeria: Georgia on my mind · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Nigeria tech blog, Oro reports from Atlanta, Georgia where he takes the opportunity to visit the Martin Luther King Center and takes a walk around the historic Black city.


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Peru: Humala Bounces Back in New Polls · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Both Leftside and Justin Delacour mention leftist presidential candidate, Ollanta Humala's recent bounce-back in pre-election polls. Fabiola Bazo quotes pollster Alfredo Torres in saying that whichever candidate is able to distance him/herself from outgoing President Toledo will win. Finally, Un Lobo en Perú describes a museum exhibit in Lima by the newspaper El Comercio, which is meant to give voters historical context as they head to the polls.


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Russia: Train Rides · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Tim Newman of White Sun of the Desert writes about a typical train journey in Russia: boiled eggs and endless conversations are the most common features. Also, for a male foreigner, motherly attention of female compartment-mates, which would be considered rude in the West but are a norm in Russia.


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Saudi Bloggers React to the Arrest of a Writer · Global Voices
Ahmed Al-Omran

According to several Saudi blogs and forums, the Saudi authorities have arrested the Islamic intellectual Dr. Mohsen Al-Awaji after he published an article on the web, in which he criticized Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, the minister of labor. In his article, Al-Awaji accused Al-Gosaibi of leading a group that tries to change the identity of the Saudi society. Al-Awaji also attacked Al-Gosaibi for writing the preface of the controversial novel Banat Al-Riyadh.
The government did not release any statement regarding this arrest, but one of the notable things that followed the arrest was the blocking of some websites that published the article. The recently blocked websites include Al-Wasatia forums, owned by Al-Awaji himself, Al-Wifaq electronic newspaper, and the infamous Al-Sahat forums.
The local press did not report this story at all, but some Saudi bloggers have written about it. Fouad Al-Farhan says he was really disturbed (Arabic) when he heard the news of arresting Al-Awaji, as well as the blocking of the websites. “I have disagreed with Dr. Mohsen in several meetings and in this blog, but I don't agree on arresting any human being because of his opinions,” he said. Al-Farhan thinks Al-Gosaibi is a bad minister because he has not found any practical solutions for the unemployment crisis, add that what Dr. Mohsen said in his article is not just his opinion, but also the opinion of many people inside the government and the society. “So, do we all deserve to be arrested?” he asked.
On the other hand, Riyadhawi thinks that Al-Gosaibi is a devoted minister (Arabic). “There is a difference between freedom of expression and personal attack. Apparently Dr. Al-Awaji did not see this difference, and committed the latter under the name of the former, but he did not expect that it would develop into this,” he wrote.

author: Ahmed Al-Omran


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South Africa: Jacob Zuma · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Mzansi Afrika comments on the Jacob Zuma trial from a slightly different angle.  Zuma knowning had unsafe sex with someone he knew was HIV+...”Whether he raped her not, he still knowingly went into a situation whereby he willingly engaged in sexual intercourse with a women that he knew to be infected with the AIDS virus. Huh? As a leader of a country with one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the world, this is his personal behaviour? I don't get it – shouldn't he know better?”


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South Korea: The Confucian ideal · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

The Asia Pages writes a long analysis of the usefulness of Confucian values in modern East Asian societies, noting strong biases in favor of males and older people, and wondering what the sage would have said about China's current government. “An oppressive government is more to be feared than a tiger,” perhaps?


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Sri Lanka: 8% you say! · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Janapathi on the figure of 8% economic growth in Sri Lanka as stated by the Finance Secretary and the facts behind this seemingly positive figure.


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Sri Lanka: From Wadduwa · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Webhamuva has an update from Wadduwa on post-Tsunami reconstruction.


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Tanzania: Agathon Rwasa · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Agathon Rwasa comments on Tanzania's “pr offensive on behalf of indicted war criminal, Agathon Rwasa.


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

Fresh off some historic accomplishments such as the approval of two important laws in Congress, the convocation of the Constituent Assembly and another to finalize the Referendum for Autonomy, Bolivia again witnessed some additional meaningful events.  Miguel Buitrago summarizes much of the week’s occurrences in a recent post in his blog, MABB.
Visits from fellow South American presidents were important to explore and discuss bilateral issues.  Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez arrived in La Paz to sign an agreement that would provide gas to the Mercosur country.  Trade concerns over the export of soy was a topic of conversation between President Evo Morales and his counterpart from Colombia, Alvaro Uribe.  The effects of a recent trade agreement with the United States meant bad news for the Bolivian soy industry.
President Morales’ visit to neighboring Chile also became historic, as he was the first Bolivian president to attend the inauguration of a Chilean head of state.  This visit occurred in a similar fashion, when outgoing president Ricardo Lago attended Morales’ inauguration nearly two months ago.  While in Santiago, Morales attended a rally where thousands of Chileans openly supported Bolivia’s claim to the sea.  Even those those in attendance represented such a small percentage of the Chilean population, Bolivian blogger Sergio Asturizaga, who currently lives in Brazil, remains optimistic that these two events could signal a new and revitalized relationship with Chile.  Asturizaga blogs at Así como me ves me tienes.
The inauguration of a woman president in Chile, Michelle Bachelet, coincided with International Women’s Day, which was celebrated in Bolivia.  The rights and equality for women has a long way to go in the country, as pointed out by a post in Ceckis’ Lost in Confussion blog.  Statistics from a United Nations Development Programme report painted several bleak pictures.  For example, women earn 45% of what a man typical earns partly because many women receive no pay for tasks in the rural parts of Bolivia.  Women also primarily work as domestic laborers, which often pay less.  Education disparities are also evident, such as literacy rates and access to school.  Domestic violence sadly occurs far too often, which was reported in a study conducted by the Vice-Ministry of Gender Issues.  Seven in ten women have reported physical or psychological abuse.
Joaquin Cuevas’ illustration depicts how often these days of commemoration are often only to pat oneself on the back and things change very little in the expectations of women.  His blog La Vida del Chico Larva  also features an illustration of an unemployed cartoonist, where apparently he no longer works for the newspaper La Razon.  In the comments section, he writes “My revolutionary ideas (contracts, benefits and creative independence) didn't coincide with the newspaper's position.”
Finally, Alvaro, in his blog La Casa Verde, wonders how President Morales, in similar attitudes taken by Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro, shows little interest in maintaining a family.  He writes that it seems that personal ambitions for power take precedence over family life because he had asked the Vice-President and two Presidents of both chambers of Congress to live in the Presidentia residence to work non-stop.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Uganda: American held on terrorism charges · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Uganda-CAN reports that an American is presently being held under arrest in Uganda  for illegal possession of arms and terrorism... It is claimed that the American hoped to collect the $1.7 bounty that is on the leader of the  LRA (Lord's Resistance Army.


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Uyghurs: Girl band from Uzbekistan · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Via ESWN, The Opposite End of China offers a pop video of an Uzbek Uyghur girl band, singing and dancing in their own video.


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Zimbabwe: No plot to kill Mugabe? · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Zimbabwean Pundit reports on the release of yet another of those arrested for supposedly plotting to kill Mugabe....”The MDC's Brian James, a treasurer for the party's Manicaland structure was released yesterday, but gagged from spewing details about how porous the investigation still is. “


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Argentina: Mendoza’s Stencil Graffiti · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Robert Wright explains that he hasn't been posting is usual collections of Buenos Aires stencil graffiti lately because the pickings have been slim. So instead, some stencil graffiti from Mendoza.


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Argentina: Mundialmente · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Fernando Casale has an update (and some sample tracks) of the Argentine-Brazilian band Mundialmente. If you like their music, send them an email says Casale.


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Armenia: Turkish Trade · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Christian Garbis explains how it is that trade with Turkey flourishes despite it being illegal and complaints about low-quality Turkish products.


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Baobab Tree · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

The multifaceted Baobab is the “tree of life“.
* the fruits are rich in vitamin C and are used to prepare beverages,
* the leaves are used fresh or dried as vegetables and as forage,
* the seeds are used to extract oil,
* all parts of the tree have medicinal properties,
* the bark provides strong and durable fibres,
* the tree is fire resistant and can survive severe droughts,
* it is easy and cheap to cultivate and free from any serious pests and diseases
* and it provides shade and protects the soil against erosion
“It was the season just after when the baobab had shed its long stringed calabashes. Not far way, was a solitary man surrounded by buzzing bees – he smoked a pipe made out of a hollowed out gourd of baobab. He warned me that the tree was haunted”.
Photo taken by Unganisha


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Barbados: Negrocrat redux · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

A New York Times writer Googles the word “negrocrat” and finds Barbados Free Press‘s reference to Prime Minister Owen Arthur's use of the term — naturally, BFP blogs about it.


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Cambodia: Voodoo Politics · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

KI Media translates from Khmer an article in the Cambodian media reporting a voodoo session organized by local politicians to exorcise devils believed to be living in a royal palace.


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Central Asia: Snow Leopards · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

James of neweurasia says that economic incentives may be behind the rise in Central Asia's snow leopard population. Their numbers, though, are still dangerously low.


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China: Anti-corruption vaccine · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

The Peking Duck Pond has a discussion thread on attempts to “vaccinate” Chinese schoolchildren against corruption at an early age, with special educational sessions addressing the temptations of power.


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China: CDT is back up · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Non-violent Resistance points to a reappearance of China Digital Times via Feedburner, after reporting it as unavailable in China earlier in the week.


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China: Guo Feixiong taken to Jiangxi · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

China Information Center reports that Guangdong-based human rights lawyer Guo Feixiong has been taken back to his hometown in the eastern province of Jiangxi by the authorities in an apparent attempt to keep him from carrying out sensitive rights work, and to separate him from Beijing-based lawyer Gao Zhisheng, with whom he took part in a relay hunger strike to protest official abuses of power.


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China: Mashup Camp · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Back from the NPC, Asia Pundit looks forward to mashup camp in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, where a bunch of prominent bloggers are due to meet to discuss Search Engine Strategies and Web 2.0, drink beer and play with model airplanes(ZH).


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Estonia: Tribute to Lennart Meri · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

David McDuff of A Step At A Time pays tribute to Lennart Meri, former president of Estonia, who died on March 14. Links to other blogs commemorating this prominent European statesman are provided.


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Indonesia: Sesame Street · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Jakartass discusses a US$8.5 million grant to Indonesia to produce a local version of the American children's show Sesame Street.


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Iran: USA & Censorship · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Antropologiinfo blog talks about censorship of research in the USA. Blog says” Recently, two articles by teams from the University of Bergen were accepted by prominent US journals and then turned down because, the publishers said, “we cannot publish your paper because the United States government restricts publishers from publishing papers that have an affiliation with the government of Iran. Some of the authors were Iranian citizens”.


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Japan: See it. Film it. Change it. · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Joi Ito announces his appointment to the board of WITNESS, a group which aims to advance human rights advocacy through the use of video and communications technology, and strengthen grassroots movements for change by providing video technology and assisting its partners to use video as evidence before courts and the United Nations, as a tool for public education, and as a deterrent to further abuse.”


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Kenya: Law and order? · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

African Bullets & Honey discusses the notion of order in Kenya and concludes that words like law and order have until now ” weapons against the hopes of most of us. And furthermore, that if we do not begin to question what these concepts mean in the operations of our state, it shall become a monster that serves all the PR needs of babi Nairobi west of Moi Avenue while crushing and oppressing all those east of that famous marker”.


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Kyrgyzstan: Allah’s Rooster · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Registan.net has news of a rooster in Kyrgyzstan's city of Osh that reportedly says “Allah” over and over again. The chicken is credited with turning at least a few people toward increased worship.


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Kyrgyzstan: Celebrate the “Revolution?” · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

neweurasia covers the debate over whether or not to celebrate the first anniversary of Kyrgyzstan's Tulip Revolution. The debate also encompasses whether or not what took place can even rightly be called a revolution.


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Latvia: Bribery Scandal · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

With Latvia's parliamentary elections scheduled for October, Aleks of All About Latvia introduces Latvian politicians and examines an ongoing bribery scandal.


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Lebanon:  Low Internet Penetration · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Middle Eastern audiences are literally disconnected from the rest of the world and the rest of their countrymen. Less than four per cent of people in the Arab world are internet users, according to ITU data. The penetration rate is just 3.7% – in a region with an 8.59% penetration in landline subscribers, and 14.51% in mobile subscribers, Lebanon said.

author: Haitham Sabbah


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Malaysia, Singapore: Eye Scare · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Jeff Ooi at Screenshots has been following a health scare in Malaysia and Singapore over contact lens solution that is apparently causing blinding fungal infections in people's eyes. The trail starts here.


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Mexico: World Water Forum · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Nick Buxton and Oscar Reyes will be blogging live from the World Water Forum in Mexico. Joe Zacune gives historical context to the forum on OpenDemocracy.


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Moldova: “The Stupid Tax” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Jessica of Life in Moldova writes about financial traps that await unsuspecting foreigners in Moldova.


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Mongolia: TV on the Steppe · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Just because one leads a nomadic life doesn't mean one should suffer poor television reception. Shards of Mongolia writes that reception stands to get much better for Mongolia's nomads soon.


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Nigeria: University closes · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Jangbalajugbu Homeland Stories reports on the closure of his university, Obafemi Awolowo University in Ife during the middle of semester exams.. “Students are to leave the University before 4pm on Sunday. Mobile policemen have already been positioned at the University gate to ensure that students comply with the instruction. By the time you read this, I should be out of the campus too. So sad.”


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Palestine: Beware the Ides of March · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Israel acts not just with absolute impunity, but with the support of western powers: that is the message that has been reinforced in Jericho, Laila El-Haddad said. See her full article in the Guardian's new Comment is Free blog.


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Palestine: Jericho Prison Raided and Saadat Arrested · Global Voices
Shaden Abdulrahman

On 14 March 2006 Israeli forces raided Jericho prison and arrested PFLP militant leader Ahmad Saadat. The military wing of the popular front threatened to respond to the Israeli operation.
Laila el-Haddad from Raising Yousuf took some pictures of Palestinian security forces made to strip down to their underwear by Israeli troops and captivated.


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Peru: Bloggers Meetup · Global Voices
David Sasaki

It's the event that Peruvian bloggers have been waiting for says “Leuzor:” the next bloggers meetup, which will take place on Saturday, March 25th in Lima. From the comments, it looks like it will be a big party.


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Philippines: Right to Be Heard · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Dean Alfar at notes from the peanut gallery argues for the Philippine opposition's right to be heard.


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Russia: Billionaires, Poor Peasants and Candies · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

W. Shedd of The Accidental Russophile writes about Russian billionaires, the death of the Russian village, Russian candies and the somewhat “militant” names of their producers.


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Rwanda: Testimony to genocide · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Rwandan Survivors continues to publish the testimonies of survivors of the genocide.  Here Ndamyina Gisanura speaks “The genocide didn't exactly start in 1994 – we could see signs of it earlier. There were car bombings, students were beaten up; there was a bad atmosphere and it seemed as if something was being planned. But 1994 was the grand finale”


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Saudi Arabia: Clips · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

Ahmed post more video clips from Al Jazeera Forum, and post a link to letter from Reporters Without Borders to King Abdullah.


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Saudi Arabia: Stolen heritage · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

The Highlander hopes that the Saudi government and greedy businessmen do not ‘misplace’ or deliberately destroy their heritage.


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Serbia & Montenegro: Dispute on Montenegro’s Future Continues · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Doug Muir of A Fistful of Euros continues the debate on Montenegro's independence. (The discussion's beginning is here, part 2 is here.)


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Serbia & Montenegro: Failure to Catch Karadzic in 2002 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At Finding Karadzic, Balkan Ghost cites a letter by “a former western soldier in the Balkans” whose unit failed to capture Radovan Karadzic in 2002.


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Singapore: Meritocracy · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Singapore Entrepreneurs has some thoughts about meritocracy and entrepreneurship, and how many Singaporeans have traded their passions and risk-taking in exchange for social stability.


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South Africa: Patricia de Lille · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

The Fish Bowl comments on what he sees as  Patricia de Lille's “selling her soul”. …”Campaigning on the back of a promise of aggressive opposition to the ANC, she colluded with the ANC on a number of major votes leading up to the mayoral race, a decision that has driven a wedge between the ID and its voting electorate.”


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Sudan: Darfur alert · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Human Rights Action calls on 200,000 to stand in for the victims of atrocities in Darfur...”At least two million people have been forced to flee their homes—and are displaced in Sudan or in camps in neighboring Chad. Help us stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves. We are asking you to sign our petition to
call for a U.N. appointed diplomat of the highest international
stature to lead a peace process in Darfur


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Taiwan: Cloud Gate Thunders · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

ESWN has translated a transcript of a conversation between top Taiwan choreographer Lin Huai-min (of “Cloud Gate” fame) and the publisher of the pro-KMT United Daily News Wang Shiao-lan. Lin is disappointed at the paper's political positioning and the poverty of coverage, especially of culture.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival art exhibition · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

The Bookmann posts a few photos and a short description of day before yesterday's opening of an exhibition of drawings by Trinidadian Carnival designer Peter Minshall.


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Trinidad & Tobago: ICT & small business · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Taran Rampersad posts Part One of his “Guidelines for Implementing Technology In Any Enterprise”, which will eventually be published as an e-book.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Pollution hotline? · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Francomenz calls for a pollution hotline to help alleviate Trinidad's air quality problem.


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Ukraine: Chernobyl’s 20th Anniversary in NYC · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Languor Management reports on the exhibit that has opened in New York's Ukrainian Museum on March 12: “The Ukrainian Museum is commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster with this multi-media exhibition that explores the accident's impact on the lives of residents in the territories of Ukraine most heavily contaminated by radioactive fallout.”


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Ukraine: Mafia in the Parliament · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Scott W. Clark of Foreign Notes thinks “HBO should start another series on the mob when the Sopranos ends” – about certain individuals posing as Ukrainian paliament members. “Call it, The Verkhovna Rada.”


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Ukraine: Murky Politics · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LEvko and Scott W. Clark of Foreign Notes further examine the murky world of Ukraine's pre-election politics: election campaign heating up;  last pre-election opinion polls; Yulia Tymoshenko's conditions for coalition; the president's and prime minister's press conferences; Tymoshenko targeting Yushchenko's voters; and a recent reshuffle at the Ukrainian Security Service.


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Ukraine: Pidhajtsi and Odesa · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Stefan at Dykun writes about pre-election politics in the town of Pidhajtsi and posts a few pictures of his favorite city, Odesa.


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Ukraine: Playing Run-and-Chase in Pediatrics Dept. · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A Malaysian medical student posts pictures of spring snow in Simferopol, the capital of Ukraine's warmest region, Crimea. Also, there are pictures from another pediatrics class that evolved into “playing run and chase” with Ukrainian kids: “As usual, Fridays give us a multitude of wonderful feeling and joy as we (group 344 and 343) get to mingle with all the ultra cute and ultra pretty kids! :) Generally, Medschool practically sucks the whole life out of you, and this small opportunity kinda gives us the much-needed break that we need.”


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Uyghurs: The Prince of Pop · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

The Opposite End of China has another helping of Uyghur pop video, this time featuring Mominjan Ablekim, the prince of Uyghur pop.


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Venezuela: A Happy Birthday to All · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Miguel Octavio sarcastically wishes a happy birthday to “the amazing Gonzalez family.” He's referring to the nearly 2000 registered voters with the last name Gonzalez who were born on the same day, 32 years ago in the he western state of Zulia. Unbelievably, when Steven Dudley and Phil Gunson randomly called a dozen Gonzálezes out of the phonebook, “two said they were indeed celebrating birthdays Wednesday,” though neither was turning 32. Daniel Duquenal, meanwhile, takes a look at the newly released final report by the European Union on Venezuela's electoral process.


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Zimbabwe: Quality of sanitary towels · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

This is Zimbabwe reports on the governments decision to “quality test” sanitary towels” that have been donated during an international appeal….”At the moment Zimbabwean women are forced to use newspaper and toilet paper; those in the rural areas are apparently resorting to leaves and tree bark! And apparently this is leading to infections and illnesses.”


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· Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Mirwais at Afghan Reality says that the donor agenda for Afghanistan is neglecting pressing needs of most Afghans.


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Africa: Ethnicity  · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Writing on Mzansi Afrika, Lesotho blogger, Rethabile discusses ethnicity in an African context. Majority does not necessarily equal power and minority does not always mean conquered…He also considers what it is like to be an immigrant in Europe.


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Armenia: Cops at Work · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

ArmYouth Blog reports that pay increases for police that went into effect last year might actually be having the intended, positive effect of reducing corruption.


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Bangladesh: Affinity credit card · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Drishtipat Group Blog on an affinity Credit Card for Bangladesh – “Each time a consumer uses the affinity card for a purchase, a balance transfer or a cash advance, the bank donates a percentage of the amount to the organization.”


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Belarus: Backlash Against Opposition; Test for Europe · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

br23 blog and Andrei Khrapavitski both report on the continuing repressions against opposition activists in Belarus. One of Andrei's friends got expelled from the university, another got arrested. Andrei also cites an International Herald Tribune opinion piece by Georgia's president Mikhail Saakashvili: Belarus election is going to “be the most critical test to date of Europe’s tolerance towards dictatorship on its own continent.”


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Belarus: Balloon Revolution · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

“[…] Good psychological weapon against the troops” – in order to show the regime they are not terrorists, everyone should come to the rally in Minsk with a toy balloon, suggests LJ user eugene_exe (BEL). Any color would do, but blue is preferable.


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Belarus: Intimidation Campaign · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Belarusian KGB chief said going out into the street on Sunday would be qualified as terrorism and those caught would face tough sentences, including capital punishment, reports br23 blog: “[…] My dad called me tonight and said: “Your sister is going out on March, 19. I heard on TV today that this will qualify as terrorism, and she can get a death sentence!” Dad sounded really scared and asked me if I could talk her out…” Andrei Khrapavitski posts on the intimidation campaign, too.


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Caribbean: Women writers’ blog · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Over at BlogHer, Karen Walrond announces her new project, The Pan Collective, “a community blog featuring the voices of wonderful women writers from the Caribbean”.


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Cayman Islands: Biodiversity project · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Cayman Time reports on last week's launch of the Cayman Islands Darwin Project, whose centerpiece is a biodiversity action plan for the territory.


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Cayman Islands: The price of dope · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

A drug bust in Grand Cayman reveals that dope prices in the island are spiraling out of control. Cayblogger is very concerned.


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China: “Blog-gate” in the Bath-house · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Shanghai businessmen are rediscovering the delights of the bathhouse as a venue for business bonding, reports Bingfeng Teahouse, who finds a strange angle on the Massage Milk hoax as reported in the Taiwan media.


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China: Missing AIDS activist · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Zeng Jinyan, the wife of Chinese AIDS activist Hu Jia, is blogging about her attempts to find her husband (ZH), who disappeared a month ago. She attempts to file a complaint, as provided for in Chinese law, of unlawful detention against the police, who have been stonewalling her since he went missing. “Yes, you have to keep asking the boss what to do,” she tells a group of unhelpful officials at the Tongzhou county prosecutor's office. “Otherwise if something goes wrong, he'll make a scapegoat of anyone who tried to do their job properly…I knew I had hit them on their sore spot, and wound up having to apologize for my loss of control, my bad manners, for my despair, and for my tears.”


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China: Zhao Yan released · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Angry Chinese Blogger is surprised at the release of former New York Times researcher Zhao Yan, ahead of the visit to the United States by Chinese President Hu Jintao. He goes into the story in detail, with plenty of background information.


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Creative Commons Mexico · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Berkman Center Executive Director John Palfrey certainly sounds enthusiastic when he writes:
Right this very minute, Creative Commons Mexico is launching in Mexico City.  Congratulations, Larry Lessig, Leon Felipe Sanchez, and all the CC International team on yet another landmark on your road to world domination.  For atmospherics, Larry has “My Life” playing in the background… (This launch is coinciding with the end of Day 1 of iLaw-Mexico here.)
Eduardo Arcos, a native of Ecuador who now resides in Mexico City, is at iLaw live-blogging each seminar. Regarding spam in Mexico, he summarizes the main points (ES) of Clara Luz Álvarez González de Castilla (pictured) from the Federal Telecommunications Commission (ES) as follows:
Last week, León Felipe Sánchez interviewed Luis Alberto Bolaños and Emilio Saldaña of the Presidential Internet System (SIP) which recently decided to license all of its content using Creative Commons. When asked why the presidency decided to adopt CC licenses, they responded:
One of the principal interest of the Presidency of the Republic is that, once content is published, it reach the largest quantity of people possible. The content is used by researchers, academics, students, the press, and general public. By using Creative Commons licences, we have the possibility to permit the content's copy, reproduction, diffusion and everything which lets it get shared with more people. All without any charge or commercial cost, which is exactly what the licensing scheme of Creative Commons protects against. All of this, and the fact that it's based in Mexican copyright legislation.
iLaw Mexico continues throughout the day and you are sure to find more coverage on the weblogs of Ariel Vercelli (ES) and Eduardo Arcos (ES).
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Cuba: Blogger blogs blocked? · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Ernesto, based in Havana, responds to a concern that Blogger blogs are being blocked in Cuba (ES), possibly by Google itself, by posting at his own Blogger blog. “Nevertheless this doesn't prove anything,” Ernesto writes, “since Google may have blocked some and not all Cuban blogs. I am not aware of any Cuban blogger in a situation similar to the one described above.”


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DRC Diasporas Organize to Vote in June Election · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Renouveau Congolais lauds (FR) efforts by Congolese diasporas in the United Kingdom and the United States to pressure the DRC's electoral commission for voting centers in host countries and encourages Congolese the world over to launch similar efforts.  Despite the electoral commission's decision not to allow diaspora voting, the UDPS’ UK chapter is organizing a voting center where Congolese can vote on June 1.  Votes will be tallied by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Wake Up Congo.


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Ethiopia: Diaspora Politics · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Weichegud! ET Politics continues her mission to get more Ethiopians in the Diaspora to get invovled in Ethiopian politics. … “Time for Ethiopian Immigrants to Reconsider Alliance with Democrats. Hello, yes! Following up on HR 4423 by those of us in the States is crucial. Call your representative and senators, register to vote”!


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From Darfur to Avian Flu: Views from the Horn of Africa and Sudan · Global Voices
Vandu

The Darfur crisis continues to dominate the English-speaking Sudanese blogosphere. The blog Coalition for Darfur quotes a World Food Program (WFP) report, which tells of rations of pulses, sugar and salt being cut from March 2006 in Darfur. This is as a result of “slow donor response to WFP’s Emergency Operation in Sudan.” Furthermore, situation still looks tense going by the report:
“The security situation remained tense during the month with continued reports of the build-up of troops, artillery and vehicles in West Darfur by both government and rebel groups. Humanitarian access to the north of El Geneina [the capital of West Darfur province] remains closed with continued reports of attacks targeting commercial trucks.”
Sudan Watch presents series of write-ups on the situation in Darfur. These include coordinated efforts between the Arab League and the African Union (AU) to bring an end to the conflict as well as a quest by a former Sudanese slave and a Sudanese NBA basketballer to walk from New York to Washington DC as a call for action on the situation in Darfur. The handing over of the AU mandate in the Darfur to a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force has generated much debate especially in Sudan. The United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan is reported as saying that the support of the Sudanese government is needed for such the handover to proceed.
Part of the Ethiopian blogosphere continues to rumble with thought-provoking political discussions as ever. ethiopundit lashes out on the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, for his high-handedness. In reference to the last Ethiopian election, it states:
“Pressured to treat his people decently for a change by the West, or at least to spill a little less blood in public – the Prime Minister has been totally defiant.”
And even though the government of Mr. Zenawi recently made some progress on the border dispute with Eritrea, ethiopundit appears unimpressed. In its words:
“Take the recent negotiations with Eritrea where there has been a ‘breakthrough’ which can only mean that Meles is finally going to go along with the results of the arbitration that he rejected then accepted then rejected then accepted then rejected over the past six years…Ethiopia is in these negotiations now simply to make Westerners happy and possibly Eritrea's government too.”
Ethiopian Politics reports that the former Ethiopian dictator, Mengistu Haile Mariam, (who is currently in exile in Zimbabwe) has been interfering in Zimbabwean politics. It tells of a Zimbabwean news service report, which states that there is evidence to prove that “Mengistu was the brain behind a recent controversial ‘clean-up’ campaign that left millions homeless.”
Meskel Square tells of an investment that gives a higher return than Google—chickens in Ethiopia. The advent of avian flu has seen the price of chickens in Addis Ababa plummet:
“Come to Addis and buy every chicken you can get your hands on. Chickens cost as much as 35 birr [US$ 4] before the scare. Anyone who buys low and sells high could be talking about a 438% return in their initial investment.”
Food Crisis in Somalia continues to draw attention to the plight of millions in Somalia and the Horn/East of Africa who are caught up in a drought and are currently short on food and water. Despite the fact that rains have come to some drought stricken regions of Somalia and Ethiopia, there is sign for little hope, according to Meskel Square. The reason for this is that:
“…the short unseasonal shower [experienced] is actually being seen as a sign of more dry months to come and a failed April rainy season.”
Harowo tells of a new ocean that is being formed as a result of the splitting of the Afar Triangle near the Horn of Africa. It states that the ocean is being formed at a  “staggering speed — at least by geological standards. Africa will eventually lose its horn.”

author: Vandu


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Ghana: Plastic surgery project  · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

My Hearts in Accra points to a project called “The Ghana Plastic Surgery Project“” The center at Korle-Bu is the first center for plastic and reconstructive surgery in West Africa and is helping train doctors from around the region in carrying out critical surgeries. The NYU students are raising money for the center by selling a beautiful calendar that features photos of Ghana – if you’ve got $20 and a patch of blank wallspace that would benefit from some African color, please consider helping them out..”


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Guyana: Buying mangoes · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Guyana-gyal learns that there are risks involved in buying mangoes.


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Guyana: PR journalists · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Guyana 360 expresses concern over journalists who lend their services as PR personnel for political parties.


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India, Pakistan: Vintage Car Rally · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

myHimachal Blog on a vintage car rally in the Himalayas that starts in Pakistan and goes on into India.


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India: Sexual harassment · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The Commonwealth Games begins with the news of a person on the Indian contingent being held for sexually harassing a woman. More at Blogpourri.


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Indonesia: Potemkin Harvest · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Sarapan Ekonomi comments on local farmers on Buru Island being prevented from harvesting their rice until the President of Indonesia shows up for “Great Harvest Day.”


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Iran: Ganji! · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

FM Sokhan, Iran based blogger & journalist, talks about Ganji's, Iranian famous jailed writer & journalist, liberation (Persian). Blogger says for him/her Iranian New Year does not start at 20th of March but 10 days later when Ganji will become a free man.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Japan: Mind your language · Global Voices
Luisetta Mudie

Japundit‘s post on Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's reprimand of a lawmaker for using English financial terms in the course of a parliamentary session sparks further debate in the comments section.


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Kenya:  Outing Heterosexuality · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Diary of a Mad Kenyan Woman writes on Africa's desire for “freedom” yet  it's unaminous and united front against the mere “whisper” of sexuality that is anything but “does not follow the missionary position sex-is-for-the-purpose-of-reproduction-only-and-any-other-type  of-sexual-activity-will-send-you-into-the-inferno heterosexuality. Did you get that? Homosexual, bisexual transsexual, gay, queer, lesbian, transgender, cross-dresser”


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Kyrgyzstan: Aksy · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Today is the anniversary of the 2002 killing of 6 protesters in the Aksy region of Kyrgyzstan's Jalalabad province. neweurasia has a post commemorating the anniversary.


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Kyrgyzstan: Celebrate the “Revolution?” II · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

neweurasia reports that the debate amongst politicians over whether or not to make March 24th a holiday to mark the first anniversary of the Tulip Revolution is getting heated..


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Kyrgyzstan: Student Blog · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

A new blog written by students of universities in Bishkek and Karakol, Kyrgyzstan has launched with a post written by a law student criticizing the country's president.