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Angola: We are the world · Global Voices
Paula Góes

To mark the beginning of the Africa's month, Eugénio Costa Almeida [pt] publishes a video of 1985's Michael Jackson's song and explains: “This is because once more the world faces food shortage, this time not because of a drought or natural disasters but because Men (should it really be in upper case?) want to earn millions and countries want to show their non-dependency and self-capacity of energy subsistence producing cereals not to eat but to create bio-fuels.”


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Arabeyes: A Closer Look at Readers · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Over the past month, several Arab bloggers have been taking a closer look at who follows their blogs and what keywords bring readers. Here's a review of what bloggers from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Egypt had to say.
Bahrain:
After checking her statistics, and seeing who was accessing her blog, Silly Bahraini Girl goes on a rampage in a post entitled Arab Perverts.
She explains:
It really is a shame that some of us – yes – I happen to be an Arab too – have access to the Internet.
Curiosity may have killed the cat – but it certainly made my stomach turn – and I sure do have one of the most colourful vocabularies out there. Anyway, I just had a look at what leads the majority of clicks to this blog, and here's the result. These are the 250 top keywords which drew traffic to my blog. Makes me think if I should hang up my boots and open a brothel. Why am I even bothering myself blogging, promoting blogging and lecturing to people about how it gives them a voice?
She then goes on to list the 250 most searched for words on her blog.
Saudi Arabia:
From Saudi, American Bedu also shares her thoughts on how she reacts to readers. She explains:
In addition to simply sharing the realities and experiences of day-to-day life in the Kingdom, I also rely on an analysis of the search terms that led readers to my blog in the first place.  This is one of the advantages in using WordPress as a blog platform.  For a non-techie like me it is quite easy to use and manage.  Plus it provides you routinely with daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly statistics.  I not only know how many individuals have viewed my blog each day but what posts they are reading.  In addition, as I stated in the beginning of this post, I also receive a log of daily search terms which lead readers to my blog.  Sometimes I will view the search terms and realize especially with repeated terms searched, I should do a post on a particular subject due to the ongoing level of interest.  At other times I may see a search term and wonder what on earth made the search engine come up with a reference to my blog for that term!
Lebanon:
After discovering that 20 per cent of his readers were attracted by a post on Lebanese pop star Haifa Wehbe, Antoun, from Lebanon, decided to fight fire with fire, adding more pictures of Lebanon's hottest stars to his blog. He explains:
It has occurred to me that at least 20% of the hits I get a day, thus far, are from horny individuals (men, and surely some women) looking for pictures of Haifa Wehbe, due to this post I made last week about Haifa Wehbe and political Islam. I will share with you some of the word strings used on Google that allowed these horndogs to stumble upon my blog:
* haifa wahbi, sex
* f****d pics for haifa wehbe
* best photo of haifa
* picture sex haifa
Well, you get the picture. But rather than to be discouraged about my blog becoming a portal for those eager to find pictures of haifa+wehbe+sex rather than a meeting point for informed insight about Lebanon and regional issues, I've decided to put up a few more pictures of Haifa. I've also added a picture of Nancy Ajram and Elissa. Sometimes, the means justify the ends. If I can attract readers with these theatrics, maybe they'll stay a while to do some browsing.
Egypt:
D B Shobrawy from Egypt too was looking at what attracts readers to his blog and after seeing that his most ‘delicious’ post to date has been snubbed, decides to publish it again. Shobrawy explains his move as follows:
Sometimes I will go through my sites visitor statistics to see what people are reading and how they got to the site. Today I was glancing around and I saw the usual, recent posts, The Battle for Hummus and Falafel, Hot Egyptian Girls and any post involving Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. I spotted another post that hadnt been that hot of a search topic but one of my favorite posts, dare I say one of the best? I read it today as if someone else wrote it and I loved it. I’m reposting it again for those who might have missed it.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Arabeyes: Looming Food Crisis  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Inflation and rising food and oil prices are a reality around the world, and Arab bloggers are not only feeling the pinch, but writing about it too. Here is a snapshot of reactions from Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait and Egypt.
Lebanon:
In a post on the trail of death left behind from the cluster bombs still claiming lives today from the Lebanese-Israeli war of 2006, M Bashir, from Lebanon, accuses the government of turning a blind eye to increasing food prices. He says:
The same government that is so busy NOT caring for the spikes in food and gasoline prices, it does NOT have time to clean the leftover cluster bomblets.
Still in Lebanon, Rami Zurayk links to a petition by Avaaz to “stop the food crisis.”
In another post, Zurayk asks:
The Arab World is one of the most food insecure regions in the world, with the least biophysical and human potential. I believe it will be the hardest hit from the food crisis. Oil producing countries will be able to buy food, but what about the others?
Syria:
Sursock, Reporting Lebanon, sheds light on the food crisis in Syria. He explains:
Syrians are concerned that sharp price increases in basic foods like bread will have a major impact on an economy that is already in poor shape. The economics ministry recently announced that 15 million Syrians—or about three-quarters of the population—have been affected by rising food prices. Bread has reached 40 lira [80 US cents] for a kilogram sold on the open market, compared with 25 lira at the end of last year. The government also offers subsidised bread, of poorer quality.
The rising prices have been widely covered in the media, and many Syrians see the cost of bread in particular as the latest and most serious example of rising inflation. While the government has downplayed the issue, many people say they fear hungry days lie ahead.
Kuwait:
Charts and Numbers zooms into Kuwait and writes:
Annual inflation in Kuwait has reached an all time high of 9.5% spurred by strong housing and food costs. Inflation is on the rise across the Gulf region with Saudi Arabia and Qatar at all-time highs. In Kuwait, the recent parliamentary regulations and central bank reforms created to aid the economy’s inflationary dillema has yet to show progress. In the December 2007 index, housing was a major factor effecting the figures.
Egypt:
Inflation and rising food costs, particularly bread, has resulted in a stand off between workers and the authorities in Egypt, culminating with a much publicised face off with the government on April 6 and 7. Elijah Zarwan sheds more light on the situation here, warning of dire consequences:
The riots followed marginally successful calls for a general strike and months of escalating unrest over inflation, especially in the price of bread and other basic foodstuffs. Bread prices rose by almost 50 percent last year, driving more Egyptians into ever-longer breadlines at government-subsidized bakeries. Fatal violence erupted in some of the breadlines, and the president ordered the army to begin baking bread.
In the days after the strike, as the country’s security apparatus arrested young girls who had publicized the strike on Facebook and hundreds of protesters detained in Mahalla dropped off the face of the Earth, the question on everyone’s mind was, “How serious is this? What next?”
He further explains:
The Mahalla unrest was apparently sparked by more fundamental problems. The government cannot order world grain prices down, and thousands of riot police cannot increase wages.
If it’s dangerous to dismiss what’s happened in Egypt as mere agitating on the part of a few left-wing activists, it’s equally dangerous to imagine that Facebook and Twitter are going to usher in a Gucci Revolution in Egypt. Food shortages and breadlines might, but the people who depend on government bakeries to survive don’t have Facebook accounts, they have never heard of Twitter, and if they take to the streets, they’re not going to be wearing tube tops with cute little Egyptian eagles painted on their boobs. They’re going to be carrying Molotov cocktails and bricks.
Still in Egypt, D B Shobrawy paints another picture – blaming rising gas prices and the greed of the Arab oil barons for the current food crisis. He explains:
The cost of living has risen drastically around the world from increasing real-estate, gasoline, education and now food. But its not fillet mignon or sauteed lobster tail that have risen in cost, it’s the basic essentials of developing nations. Take Egypt for example and the increase in simple staples of nourishment, rice, bread, beans, onions even vegetable oil. Foods such as these have increased more than double since 2004 and some cases quadrupled in only a few months. We’ve all heard of the massive bread shortages in Egypt due to the increased cost of wheat but now what used to cost 2 EGP for vegetable oil now costs 15 EGP. Fava beans, the most basic food, afforded by the poorest of the poor costs 8 EGP per Kg, something that cost a quarter of that a year ago.
[…]
Ironically the increase in the cost of beans, grains and oil’s have come from developed nations and their response to increased oil costs. Governmental policies within the U.S. and E.U. have caused an increased demand on beans and grains to be used for bio-fuel, a supplement of petroleum.
[…]
Do I blame the U.S. like every Osama bin Laden loving Arab will once this news reaches the mainstream? No, no, no, quite the contrary. I blame Arabs! You heard me. As always Arabs manage to shoot themselves in the foot out of their own greed and their inability to see past their own nose. Do you happen to notice something here?


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Armenia: Is Civil Society Taking Shape? · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

ԱՅՕ՝ ԱՅԴՊԵՍ ԸՍԻ wonders whether the recent presidential election in Armenia hasn't kick-started the development of a more effective civil society in the country. In particular it says that the amount of online activism that has emerged through blogs is unprecedented and says that it hopes a real pro-democracy movement will emerge by the time of the next parliamentary election in Armenia.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bangladesh: Exit Strategy  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Unheard Voices Blog analyzes the recent politics in Bangladesh: “After a lot of fumbling, failures and reform buzzwords, the government has come up with its own exit strategy. No, it has nothing to do with continuing reform or fixing our institutes. Its simply about their collective backside getting protected by ensuring their hold in the power for the long term”.

author: Rezwan


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Bhutan: Beauty pageant for a change · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kashyapji writes in Kuzu-Bhutan weblog about “Miss Bhutan” contest, an upcoming beauty pageant which is expected to set a new trend breaking the ice of the protectionist Bhutanese culture.


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Brazil: 14 years without Ayrton Senna · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Thales Barreto [pt] reminds readers that 14 years ago today Ayrton Senna, a Brazilian racing driver and triple Formula One world champion, was dying in a fatal accident in at Imola. “Character, dedication, solidarity, energy, pride. I easily associate Senna's image with some of these words. He had a head of state like funeral. Our last Big Man was buried. The brightness of Senna's sad eyes is eternal. I wish the new generations will never forget the myth. Brazil is poor and petty.”

author: Paula Góes


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Brunei: Rubber industry · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Daily Brunei Resources note that many Bruneians have forgotten that it was coal, rubber and cutch which sustained their country a century ago.

author: Mong Palatino


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Chile: political messages in online music video stir the population · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

SubVerso (SubVerse) is  the artistic name of Vicente Durán,  author of Inform Yourself, a political critique Hip-hop song and video distributed mainly online, which has caused a stir in the Chilean community and unleashed a flood of comments, both in favor of the message it gives of informing yourself and not taking information on TV at face value, and others lashing against certain lyrics which tell people to go throw rocks at foreign company's windows as a way to protest. The full lyrics [es], can be found following the link. Here is an excerpt that speaks about Chile's president, Michelle Bachelet, translated into English:
Bachelet lo sabe bien porque aprendió de los gringos Estudiando con los milicos allá en los Estados Unidos Hizo un magíster en defensa y seguridad nacional Así que no le compren na’ su falsa imagen maternal
Tiene ADN familiar militar y dirigente Y aunque incompetente armó un equipo potente pa’ disparar Contra el enemigo interno, que no es el ladrón de terno Sino tus primos, tus vecinos y tus niños pequeños
Te lo enseño en estos versos que son como yo, SubVerso Pa’ que no nos hagan lesos como en el cuento de los “quesos” Si querís adelgazar, bota el peso de tus cadenas Y vamos a romper ventanas de las empresas extranjeras
CORO
Infórmate antes que te formatee la TV Lee, y aprende de la calle también Al rico le conviene mantenerte ignorante Y ocultarte información con la función de esclavizarte
Bachelet knows it well because she learned from the gringos studying with the military there in the USA. She earned a degree in defense and national security so don´t buy that false maternal image.
Her DNA is familiar, military and directive and though incompetent she formed a potent team to shoot against the internal enemy, which isn´t the thief in a 3 piece suit but your cousins, your neighbors and your small children.
I teach you with these verses that are like me, SubVerso so that you don´t play stupid like it happened with the story of the “cheese”. If you wish to lose weight then eliminate the weight of the chains and let´s go break the windows of foreign companies.
Chorus
Inform yourself before the TV re-formats you, read and learn from the street as well The rich ones would rather have you ignorant and hide information from you in order to enslave you.
Inform Yourself could possibly be the Chilean equivalent to Billy Joel's We didn´t start the fire, completely loaded with names, places and events relevant to the current political situation in Chile. This video has come out at a time when  the 111 day hunger strike Patricia  Troncoso  started on behalf of Mapuche Indians rights, the longest one in Chile's history, came to a close and following the death of Mapuche activist and student Matías Catrileo by Chile's Special Police Forces.
On an interview Sebastián Larraín Saá had with SubVerso [es], Vicente Durán explains how the video was built collectively by all the people who uploaded the material used on YouTube, and that his idea was to denounce explicitly the corruption in Chile, using examples from real life and not just making veiled references to what is going on: instead, he uses names and events so that listeners can check and corroborate… and inform themselves.
The Inform Yourself video [es] , as uploaded by  conspirazion, the collective SubVerso belongs to:
SubVerso performed live last March 6th in front of the London 38 house, a torture and detention center in downtown Santiago run by the Chilean Secret Police during the Pinochet regime. The concert was organized by Memoria 119 [es], a collective which wishes to turn this house into a “memory house” to honour the victims of the brutal tortures which took place. SubVerso's performance was uploaded by pavelaravena:
SubVerso has joined with other Hip-hop artists in his hometown of Villa Francia as part of the CoN$PiRaZioN group and they have put out a CD, Apaga la tele (Turn off the TV) which can be downloaded free from the group's MySpace page.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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China: Reflection on patriotism · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

When the Olympic torch relay approaches China, Mo Yang saw how the “protection” for this torch relay provided by oversea Chinese hurts China.
这次奥运火炬全球传递基本上是被中国的海外愤青给搞砸了[…]。圣火传递开始阶段，在伦敦和巴黎藏独分子出来破坏，抢夺火炬，阻挠传递的进行。这个时候，理亏的是藏独分子。[…]如果我们能够保持冷静，采取克制[…]，继续按部就班地进行传递接力，把藏独破坏问题完全交给各国警察来处理，那么，[…]各国人民会说：“噢，看来，中国人确实是一心一意要办 好奥运会的，确实是把体育和政治分开的。”[…]但是，不知从哪里跳出来一大堆海外“爱国华人”，[…]反而给中国的形象带来了负面影响。
Wan-Er-Bu-Liou-Mang-Gan-Ga analyzed why there are so many angry “patriots”:
这段时间的一系列事件，为什么会激起中国那么多人的愤怒？固然，事件本身没办法不让我们愤怒。但我总觉得这里面有不少是盲目，是被煽动起来的，或者有些愤怒只是冲着事件的本身，而忽略了探析事件背后的一系列复杂的原因。简洁点说：因为我们以往的印象中国是和谐的，是他国的形象中是美好的，当这突如其来的一系列事件，让我们知道其实并不是完美的，形成了巨大的心理落差，愤怒的声音愈加得强烈。
On the other hand, Hua-Bin Jing argued if doing these anti-boycott activities is patriotic, not everyone can be this kind of patriotic:
有网友说‘既为奥运会捐款，还为海外势力抵制奥运会而大声疾呼；这样的人不爱国，难道是那些无动于衷的人爱国’。
如此说来，腐败分子的确比我们下岗人员爱国；因为我们下岗人既没有钱捐，也没有时间来参加活动。是啊！我们机关事业单位的人参加游行抗议，国家还给他们钱；而我们下岗人员参加游行抗议，却不知谁给我们工资。
腐败分子，是指那些贪污受贿、生活腐化、以权谋私、侵吞国家或集体财产等的人。
同样是祖国的儿女，也有亲疏贵贱之分；看我们的高管，[…]年薪6000多万。而老百姓[…]收入也不到他的六千分之一；也就是说 我们的高管一年，相当于老百姓的6000年。祖国这样爱他们，他们能不爱国吗；因为他们并不是公平竞争的结果，[…]你比他们能力强，祖国只爱他们而不爱你；你有什么办法呢。
这爱国是遗传的，下岗人员没有能力爱国；他们的子女同样也没有能力爱国。看我们的下岗人员的子女，不是因为没有钱上大学而过早地为生活奔波；就是因为贷款读书而背包袱。
Da-Da-De-You discussed how to define the target for patriotism,
如果国只是民族的、文化的概念，则腐败分子是不爱国的，它们只是卖国贼。如果“国”即政权，当然，它们就是最爱国的一群人，因为正是这样的国给了它们腐败的机会。
Feng-Yen-Feng-You said those “patriots” oversea are traitors:
那些闹得最欢的海外”爱国人士”，[…]他们真要爱国，就应该废掉他们洋国公民身份，撕碎绿卡，回国来。按他们爱国的标准，他们中有的人是双重的背叛：先是背叛了生养他的祖国，投奔了被他们所视为的”敌国”；然后又背叛了他们所属的洋国，声称爱他们所属的洋国的”敌国”。
Touch123456 also argued what a patriot should do,
反腐败才是真正的爱国, 因为他们这群混蛋正在从人民身上喝血。
You-Ren Li said the correct way to patriotism is to study the history and to find a way to build a new country.
作为一个爱国青年，要知道怎么爱国，首要的便是了解这个国家的历史。[…]知道历史的细节，便明了这个国家真正需要个体做的是什么。 […]“五四”的传统不是“破坏”，而是反省之后重建，反省历史，反省传统，创造一个经济、制度、文化、科技、人性上都崭新的国家。

author: I-fan Lin


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Cuba: An Atypical Economy  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Blogging from Havana, Circles Robinson Online says: “Cuba’s economy is not easy to understand, especially for those that have never lived under a similar system where government plays a lead role.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Ecuador: A Weekend of Free Software Throughout the Country · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

Throughout Latin America the “Latin American Festival of Installation of Free Software” (FLISOL 2008) recently concluded. This event, which has been held since 2005, has as its main objective to promote the use of free software, presenting its philosophy, its scopes and development. During the event, the diverse local communities of free software (in each country, in each city/locality), simultaneously organized events in which they set up, in a free and legal way; free software on the computers that the public brought to the event. In addition and simultaneously, lectures, presentations and workshops on local, national and Latin-American subject matters concerning the Free Software, in all its range of expressions were also provided.
In Ecuador, this event gathered a lot of attention, especially since the President of the Republic, Rafael Correa,  by means of decree No. 1014 of April 10,  2008, ruled that the computers in the public administration should utilize free software.  This decree fulfills a promise made in a speech in 2007 that would migrate all of the country's computers to these free systems.
In the case of Ecuador, 14 cities participated this year. Coordination was done through mailing lists and IRC chats, where promotional materials were distributed to the smaller cities.
Rafael Bonifaz [es] is one of the pioneers in the country and writes a post in which he explains with details about and how the FLISOL works in Ecuador:
El FLISOL lo organiza las comunidades de Software Libre de América latina. En el caso de Ecuador los organizadores son gente de las comunidades de: ASLE, Ecualug, Equinux, OpenEcuador, Ubuntu-ec, entre otras. Básicamente estas comunidades de software libre son listas de correo o foros donde la gente que comparte el interés del software libre comparte sus conocimientos a través del Internet.
FLISOL organizes the communities of Free Software in Latin America. In the case of Ecuador the organizers are people of the communities of: ASLE, Ecualug, Equinux, OpenEcuador, Ubuntu-ec, among others. Basically these communities of free software are mailing lists or forums, where the people who share this interest of free software shares his or her knowledge through Internet.
Jhon Calderon [es] tells us what cities participated in the country and relates what occurred in the city of Loja where he was personally involved with the organization of the event:
En el marco del evento Flisol Loja se distribuyeron variantes del sistema operativo GNU/Linux de manera gratuita y también a un dólar por cd para cubrir gastos que conlleva el mismo. La instalación se realizo en cerca de 20 maquinas, la distribución de los cd’s al publico alrededor de 80 cd´s y la concurrencia del publico fue masiva quedando muy satisfechos por lo expuesto en el evento.
Within the framework of FLISOL-Loja, several variants of the GNU/Linux operating system were distributed for free and for a dollar by CD to cover expenses. The installation was made on approximately 20 machines, the distribution to the public was about 80 CDs and the attendance of the event was massive, and the public came away very satisfied.
Eduardo Palacios [es] writes in his blog of about what took place in the city of Guayaquil, and he includes photographs of the event at the ESPOL. He adds that their expectations, in respect to the attendance in comparison to 2007, were not met:
Esperaba que por realizarse en el Campus Peñas -que está dentro de la ciudad a diferencia del Campus Prosperina-, la cantidad de asistentes a este evento superara a la del FLISOL 2007, pero creo que no fué así, al menos no durante el tiempo que permanecí en el campus (hasta cerca de las 14h00).
I hoped that since the event would be held on the Campus Peñas  – which is within the city, unlike Campus Prosperina- the number of attendees at this event might surpass the number who attended FLISOL 2007, but I believe it wasn't the case, at least not during the time I remained in the campus (until near 14h00).
People Ecubuntu [es] talks about the way that people can follow the activities for FLISOL through the creatio of FLISOL TV, which is a grouping of video streams. Not all the sites had streaming videos, but it was a way to follow the events from other countries.
Esteban Mendieta [es] linked to some of the events around Ecuador, but one of his commenters found open software to be not what it is cut out to be, specifically in regards to the installation:
Me quedo con el sabor amargo de esta ingrata experiencia, pense que istalar WIN yUBUNTU seria mas facil que instalar WIN y LEOPARD, (los he instalado un sinnumero de veces en PCs y en MACS particionadas) pero WINDOWS con UBUNTU definitivamente no se llevan, un enigma para mi… Bueno esperare otra FLISOL o que el sistema sea MAS AMIGABLE, o esperar pacientemente la lenta marcha del software libre.
This poor experience leaves a bitter taste, as I thought that installing WIN and UBUNTU would have been easier than to install WIN and LEOPARD (I have installed them both a number of times in partitioned MAC and PCs), but Windows and Ubuntu definitely do not get a long, it is an enigma for me. I hope that in another FLISOL event that I can do it, or that the system becomes more friendly or wait for the slow advancement of free software.

author: Milton Ramirez


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Guyana: Power of the Post · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Guyana-Gyal couldn't post anything new until a new post appeared.  Confused?  She explains here.


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Hungary: “Provincialism” and the Economy · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Spectrum writes about “the provincialism of large segments of Hungarian society” and its effect on the economy.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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India: Pedestrian rights in Mumbai · Global Voices
Rezwan

The City Fix publishes a two part interview (Part 1, Part 2) with Mr. Krishnaraj Rao, who is leading a grassroots campaign on behalf of pedestrian rights in Mumbai. Pedestrians often have the lowest priority on the roads in this mega city.


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Internet in Myanmar · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Fear from Freedom is happy to observe that internet services are now available in Myanmar. But the blogger is disappointed that online censorship and slow connections also exist.


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Iran:Birds in Photos · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Kosoof, a leading photo blogger from Iran, has published a couple of photos of birds in movement.Watch here and here.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran:”Victory of students” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Aflatoon-Irani writes [Fa] that director of Sahand University in northern city of Tabriz in Iran, finally accepted the most of students’ requests. The students had gone on hunger strike for several days. One of the requests was the end of “gender apartheid”.


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Iran:We need air · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Weburger says[Fa] that a sand storm in Khuzestan province has created a lot of health problems for people on Thursday. The blogger adds government has refused to create a green belt in the area “because of security issues”.Weburger says we are human beings, we need air! Watch a photo of this event here.


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Israel: Cycle of Consumption  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Israeli Daniel Lubetzky writes about the cycle of wealth, education and consumption in this post.


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Israel: Soaring Grain Prices Pain  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Israel, Stephanie complains about increasing food prices in this post. “We here in the Promised Land are also feeling the pain of soaring grain prices. According to Hebrew press reports, flour & cooking oil prices went up by 25%, pasta increased by 12.5%, chocolate by 10% and rice went up a whopping 60-80% (!!!) in Israel,” she writes.


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Jamaica: Dual Citizenship  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Francis Wade says: “This entire episode regarding Parliamentarians and their dual citizenship has driven up a certain kind of Jamaican pride that I am ambivalent about.”


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Jamaica: Remembering Reid · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Litblogger Geoffrey Philp blogs about the “eminent Jamaican author, journalist, and historian” VS Reid, who he says “is usually credited, along with Trinidad and Tobago's V.S. Naipaul and St Lucian Derek Walcott, as shaping modern Caribbean writing.”


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Kyrgyzstan: When Bakiev met Kulov · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Elena tells readers about the meeting of Kyrgyzstan President Bakiev and opposition party “Ar-Namys” leader Felix Kulov, who had been a prime-minister right after the Tulip Revolution in 2005.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia has a blog · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia, is now a blogger.


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Maldives: Presidential Election in 2008 · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kishore Asokan writes from Male on the upcoming presidential election of Maldives on October 10, 2008, its contestants and the presidential system.


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Myanmar: Religious donation ceremony · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Myat Thura tackles ah-lhu. It is a Burmese religious donation ceremony. People usually do ah-lhu when they donate food and offerings to the monk or the monastery.


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Namibia: Womens’ Co-operative Improving Livehoods & The Environment · Global Voices
Juliana Rotich

Changing Climates blog writes of the Eduafano Womens’ Cooperative in Namibia, and their production of oil from a traditional melon in the region. “The economic diversification and resilience-building implications of the work of EWC are huge. Not only it promotes the reforestation of an endemic tree –which helps combat desertification and soil degradation, but it also provides alternatives for income generation, thus diversifying livelihoods – something crucial for reducing community vulnerability to environmental and socioeconomic fluctuations.”

author: Juliana Rotich


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Pakistan: Missing Libraries · Global Voices
Rezwan

Adil Najam raises concerns in All Things Pakistan Blog that Pakistanis read less. He finds out a cause that there is a shortage of functional libraries in Pakistan: “We have no public libraries, beyond what the British left us”.


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Russia: A View on Independence · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eternal Remont discusses a Russian view on the demise of the Soviet Union and independence.


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Russia: Abkhazia Plans · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Wu Wei writes that “speculations are rife about what Russia is planning for Abkhazia at the moment.”


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Russia: May Day Dissenters March in St. Pete · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A photo report on the May Day Dissenters March in St. Petersburg – by LJ user alexey_ivanov.


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Russia: May Day · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

May Day in Moscow – photos by LJ user wg-lj.


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Russia: Moscow Conversations · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

“Moscow conversations” on Putin, women, Poland and Russia – at Polandian.


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Russia: Putin-Kabaeva and Other Conspiracies · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog writes about “the Putin-Kabaeva story” and the “Kremlin infighting.”


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Russia, Saudi Arabia: Hajj Quotas Cut Again · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Window on Eurasia reports that Saudi Arabia has cut Russia’s hajj quota, “creating problems” for Dmitry Medvedev.


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South Africa: Financing The Future · Global Voices
Juliana Rotich

Carbon Copy considers micro-finance as an idea that could help alleviate the energy problems in South Africa, not just in rural off-grid settings, but also urban squatter settlements.


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Terrorist escape and Singapore politics · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Singapore Angle answers this question: Just how dangerous is Jemaah Islamiyah leader Mas Selamat and what is the threat posed by his escape on Singapore politics?


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Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana: Memories of McAndrew  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Antilles, the blog of the Caribbean Review of Books, links to Allan Fenty sharing his memories of the late Wordsworth McAndrew in the current issue of the Guyana Review.


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Trinidad & Tobago, Italy: A  Night at the Opera · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidadian blogger Jeremy Taylor admits: “I don’t normally swell with nationalist pride, but I confess I was very touched to see and hear this young half-Trinidadian commanding the very stage where Tosca was first produced in 1900, and the Roman audience warming to her and giving her long generous applause.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Life Lessons  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“In our family, her ability to hang on to a penny is legend…we still tease her about that stuff but ironically, it is those very traits that with the spiraling inflation rate, we are now all falling back on”: Trinidadian blogger Coffeewallah writes a tribute to her grandmother.


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Turkmenistan: Eyeing the TAPI project · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Maciula deliberates about the chances of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project realization.


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Turkmenistan: Welcome Openings, Sad Closings · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Patrick Frost says that Turkmenistan’s ‘opening up’ diplomatically from isolationist and totalitarian Niyazov era has been proven by the nation’s participation in the latest NATO Summit, EU Troika, and warming of relations with Turkey. But religious and personal freedoms still lag behind, he notes.


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Ukraine: “Is Kiev the New Moscow?” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

With Moscow in mind, The Turkish Invasion explores Kyiv.


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Uzbekistan: EU to play nice with Karimov’s regime · Global Voices
Tolkun

The Andijon events of May 2005, when several hundred of demonstrating civilians were reportedly shot dead by the Uzbek government troops, made the whole world tremble. The results did take long to come. The United States made several statements on severe human rights violations in Uzbekistan, for which later were asked to call back the Karshi-Khanabad airbase, and EU has put several sanctions, including visa bans on high ranking Uzbek officials. However, today, after three years have passed, both US and EU seem to have forgotten Andijon.
As informed by Reuters, “a statement drafted by EU ambassadors on April 22… said the EU remained seriously concerned about the rights situation in Uzbekistan. However, it welcomed progress, including abolition of the death penalty and release of some human rights activists.” Therefore, “the EU Council decided that visa restrictions for individuals would not apply for another period of six months.”
Writing in The Guardian, Abdujalil Boymatov, an Uzbek human rights activists, who was recently granted a refugee status in Ireland, argues that “Uzbekistan now is even more repressive place than it was in the Soviet era…” and urges EU no to soften the sanctions imposed on Uzbekistan after the Andijon events.
The article immediately attracted attentions of many readers who left very interesting comments. Logos00 agrees with Mr. Boymatov saying that:
…Uzbekistan is a glaring testament to the hypocrisy of the war on terror. We will only believe that our [Western] leaders are committed to  international humanitarian politics when we hear them speak out and act against all regimes that violate humanitarian ideals not just the ones that suit their own strategic interests.
Nick at neweurasia comments on Mr. Boymatov’s statement arguing that his “rap sheet on the Tashkent regime makes stark reading: harassment and torture of activists and opposition politicians, the internment of journalists in psychiatric hospitals, the Andijan massacre, and all sorts of other unpleasantness… [which is] well known to Uzbeks and others who follow Uzbekistan from afar. Nick asks:
Sanctions have a mixed record in international relations. Considering the current economic situation in Uzbekistan – not least hardships caused by poor infrastructure during the recent winter – will sanctions lead to the downfall of the regime or just pile on the misery for the population?
In another post Nick discussed that UK is backing the decision of EU to suspend visa bans on senior officials of Uzbek government, citing a ministerial statement (via TheyWorkForYou.com) written on 25 April by Jim Murphy, MP, Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, that says:
“The Council is expected to consider whether there has been sufficient progress on human rights issues in Uzbekistan in the last six months to warrant continued suspension of the EU visa ban. The Government recognise the positive progress made by Uzbekistan in the last six months and welcome its commitment to hold a second round of the EU-Uzbekistan Human Rights Dialogue in May or June this year. In the light of this, and in order to encourage further positive progress from Uzbekistan, the Government are likely to join consensus in continuing the suspension”.

author: Tolkun


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Americas: Insufficient Actions and Solutions for Food Crisis · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Photo by Andrea SF and used under a Creative Commons license.
Prices and shortages of food can be seen across Latin America, as many people are becoming desperate with the situation.  Blame is being placed on the farmers and blame is being placed on the government for their failure to act or failure to act insufficiently. Bloggers are writing about what they are seeing around them, while others are writing about possible solutions.
One of the places where the crisis has already spilled out onto the streets in the form of protests and counter-protests is Argentina. Gabriela Peralta of La Corresponsal [es] laments that hunger is being seen across the country:
Dá ganas de gritarlo a los cuatro vientos. ¡Hay hambre! Maldita sea. Hay hambre mientras en nuestro país se dan el lujo de guardar los granos para cuando las retenciones no sean tan altas. Hay hambre mientras en nuestro país se especula con que la cosecha les queme los tiempos al sector agrario para poder obtener ganancias no coparticipables. Hay hambre mientras se incendian del Delta del Paraná para trasladar el ganado fuera y dedicarse en exclusivo a la soja. Hay hambre mientras la soja consume campos que tarde o temprano serán incultivables…hay hambre, mientras derrochamos riqueza.
I feel like screaming in all directions.  There is hunger, dammit!  There is hunger while our country has the luxury of storing grain for when the levies are not so high.  There is hunger when in our country, harvest spectulation take place in order to split profits.  There is hunger while the wetlands of the Paraná wetlands are burned so that the cattle leaves and that land can be used exclusively for soybeans.  There is hunger while the soybeans overtakes so that someday the land becomes unable to be cultivated….there is hunger, while we squander our wealth.
Central America is also feeling the pressure of rising food prices, hunger and a lack of solutions. Julia Ardón of Costa Rica wonders what will become of many people during this crisis [es]:
Resulta impresindible entender qué significa eso tan mentado de “soberanía alimentaria”, y mientras en la tele se anuncian problemas de abastecimiento de alimentos y especialmente de arroz en el mundo…¿ qué vamos a comer por acá? ¿ acaso papeles? ¿ engrapadoras? ¿ sopa de juguetitos de plástico made in China? ¿ spagetti de cables telefónicos? ¿ O comida congelada gringa? eso sí…quien la pueda comprar…para luego tener los problemas de salud y obesidad que tienen los gringos…? Y entonces La Caja tenga que comprar más medicinas y no pueda por las patentes de los medicamentos…¿ No era que el TLC nos iba a beneficiar mucho? Y ya el otro día también él mismo andaba anunciando que venían dos años de vacas flacas…y a mi no me importó porque ando con el telele de convertirme en vegetariana…
It is difficult to understand the often-mentioned phrase “food sovereignty,” when on television they talk about the problems with the supply of food, especially with rice.  What will eat around here?  Paper?  Staplers? Soup of toys made in China? Spaghetti of phone cords? American frozen fod?  For those that can afford to buy, will have health problems like the Americans. Then the health system will have to buy more medicines and they won't be able to because of the medicine patents.  Wasn't the Free Trade Agreement supposed to provide us benefits? The other day the news was also talking about two years of skinnier cows…it doesn't bother me because I am this close of becoming a vegetarian.
In El Salvador, Ayutuxtepeque of Hunnapuh [es] writes about some of the current proposed strategies of the government, and some additional ones that could be taken to alleviate the situation:
Las medidas que actualmente está anunciando el gobierno para enfrentar la crisis alimentaria son sencillamente insuficientes e ineficientes. Pretender que con repartir granos mejorados y otros pocos incentivos, la producción agrícola va a incrementarse, es un sueño de locos. No es con medidas aisladas, atomizadas y de plazo incierto como se resolverán las cosas. Reconstruir nuestro aparato productivo agrícola no es comida de hocicones.
Por ello continuaremos insistiendo en lo que hemos señalado en innumerables ocasiones. La reactivación del aparato productivo nacional, es urgente y requiere de una estrategia integral de corto, mediano y largo plazo. El gobierno debe comprometerse en esto con seriedad y por ello debe promover que esta estrategia deje de ser un mero plan de gobierno para convertirse en una Política de Estado. Es decir que se continúe su implementación independientemente de quien llegue al gobierno, para ello se necesita del consenso de las otras fuerzas políticas y de amplios sectores sociales. (…) Ya no estoy seguro de si tenemos tiempo para hacerlo, pero hay que empezar de inmediato. En todo caso, lo peor es no hacer nada, o conformarnos con medidas aisladas e insuficientes, que no servirán de mucho.
The proposals that the government has announced to face the food crisis are simply insufficient and inefficient. Believing that by distributing higher-quality grains and other incentives, that the agricultural production will increase, is a crazy dream. It is not with isolated, small measures will things be resolved. Reconstructing our agricultural production apparatus is not for the weak-hearted.
I continue to insist that reactivating the national production apparatus is urgent and requires a short, mid and long-term integrated strategy. The government should commit itself to act and that this strategy should be the government's plan in order to become a state policy. It means that it should continue to be implemented independiently of who in power, and for that there needs to be consensus with the other political parties and a cross-section of social sectors. (…) I am not so sure that we have enough time to make it, but we must start now.  In any case, the worst thing would be to not do anything, or we conform with isolated and insufficient measures, which won't amount to much.
Some bloggers, such as Esteban Grinberg from Argentina, even put forth some possible concrete solutions to the crisis.  He writes at Un Todo un Poco [es] about more state involvement to control prices:
Que pasaría si el gobierno interviniese activamente en la producción de granos y carnes en la Argentina? Por ejemplo, el día de mañana el gobierno crease algo como la MVF (Mataderos Vacunos Fiscales) o la PFF (Plantaciones Frutiferas Fiscales). Una empresa así, que no tenga intención de exportar su producción, sino vender al mercado interno a un precio rentable, pero no en dolares, permitiría por un lado recaudar un poco más pero además tener una herramienta de control de precios de ciertos productos mucho más eficiente que los acuerdos actuales, de difícil control y ejecución. Porque hay una realidad, como van a hacer los gobiernos actuales para controlar el creciente aumento de precios de los alimentos, que producto del crecimiento mundial y de la utilización de algunos cereales en la creación de biodiesel, todo indica que van a seguir aumentando? Por supuesto esta propuesta es totalmente estatista y contraria a cualquier ideología pro mercado, pero bueno, el mercado por las razones que fuese, esta haciendo aumentar el precio de los alimentos. Y por mas que algunos piensan distinto, no creo en la teoría que el Mercado va a arreglar todo por arte de magia..
What would happen if the government would actively intervene in grain production and meat industry in Argentina?  For example, what if tomorrow the government would creat something like the State Meatpacking Plant or a State Fruit Plantation. A company like that, which would not have the intention of exporting its production, but rather sell to the internal market at a profitable price, but not in dollars, would allow for some revenues, but more than anything would allow for price control on certain products.  This would be much more efficient than the current agreeements, which is difficult to control and enforce. There is a reality.  How will the current governments control the rising price of food?  Of course this proposal favors more control by the state and goes against any pro-market ideology, but for whatever reason, the price of food continues to rise. In spite of what others might say, I don't think the market will magically fix everything.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Angola: Immigration or identity? · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Having been back in Africa for a bit more than one year, Gi [pt] has many questions about identity: “As soon as I arrived here – and that time flies like an arrow! – This question fell upon me: Where I am from? From here, the place I was born? Or from the place where I grew up, lived, where I learned to be what I am? Where I composed myself as a person”.


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Armenia: Kim Kardashian Plans Visit · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Blogian finds a post by socialite Kim Kardashian in which she says she plans to make her first ever trip to Armenia. Kardashian, who is half-Armenian, says she has decided to visit the country after comments on her blog criticizing her for not posting about last week's 93rd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.


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Bahamas, Haiti: Food Challenges  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Locally, consumers are not getting value for money. Breadbasket items such as flour, butter, cheese and canned goods have all been outrageously priced,” writes Adrian Gibson at WeblogBahamas.com, while Bajan Global Report says that Haiti will receive food aid from Florida.


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Bangladesh: ration for workers vs. profit sharing · Global Voices
Rezwan

The knitwear industry of Bangladesh is going to increase salary for the workers and it is also thinking of introducing food rations for the workers to overcome the present price hike. An Ordinary Citizen thinks these steps may not be fair enough and proposes to introduce profit sharing with workers for this profitable sector.


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Barbados: Edible Oval?   · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As the Kensington Oval is nominated for the 2008 Structural Steel Design Awards, Barbados Free Press asks: “But can we eat it?”


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Bermuda, Cuba: World Press Freedom Day  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

In Bermuda, Vexed Bermoothes blogs about World Press Freedom Day – as do Cuban bloggers Babalu and Uncommon Sense.


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Myanmar: It Can’t Wait – 30 Days Campaign · Global Voices
May Hnin Phyu

The Buddhist Blog announces the launch of 30-days campaign called “Burma: It Can't Wait” to support human rights and democracy in Burma.

author: May Hnin Phyu


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Caucasus: Geopolitical Linguistics · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Window on Eurasia examines the role of Russian language in former Soviet republics based on the findings of a Eurasia Foundation report, Russian Language in the Newly Independent States, which divides the countries into three groups. The blog comments on suggestions by one Russian newspaper on how Moscow should use this data in terms of maintaining the influence of Russian in its former sphere of influence.


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China: Chastity Declaration at Nanking University · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Li Yinhe criticizes the chastity declaration at Nanking University and suggests to spend resource for proper sex education [zh].

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Spin Doctor on Tibet and Olympics · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN translated an article written by Huangfu Ping on Tibet and Olympics. He is a former deputy editor for China Daily and a famous political commentator.


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Egypt:Hijab and Travel  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

An Egyptian Muslim girl writes about her experience wearing the Hijab (Islamic headscarf) and travelling to the US in this post.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Fiji Times publisher deported · Global Voices
May Hnin Phyu

A day after the interim PM speech on guaranteeing Fiji media freedom, Mr. Evan Hannah, the managing director of the Fiji Times was detained and confirmed to have deported out of country. AuCorp, solivakasama, Babasiga and McKenzie have their says.


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Georgia: Saakashvili Addresses Breakaway Regions · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Steady State comments on a televised address given by Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili to inhabitants of the country's two breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. However, the blog says that apart from at times of clashes, there is little actual dialogue occurring between the sides and that Saakashvili fails to understand one important reality. That is, that Abkhazians and South Ossetians show no sign of wanting to be reintegrated back into Georgia.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Global: The price of food, the cost of despair · Global Voices
John Liebhardt

The crisis of skyrocketing food prices is affecting all economic groups in every corner of the world. Every day, it seems, high-priced food sends another country lurching through some crisis: demonstrations, riots, rumors of hoarding, falling governments, even deaths.
Global Voices is well positioned to follow the nuances of this complex issue with authors tracking citizen media in nearly every country of the planet. This article is an attempt to place an overall narrative on the global food crisis with observations from our authors from around the world. Clicking on the links will take you to all the posts that have been referenced.
Let’s begin in the Caribbean. In Barbados, locals learn to deal with a 30% increase in flour prices, along with gasoline and diesel price jumps. Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Agriculture, denies there is a food crisis on the two islands, but locals notice an increase in chicken and flour prices. Cuba is trying a new agriculture policy of providing more land to private farmers.
Prices and shortages of food can be seen across Latin America, as many people are becoming desperate. Blame is being placed on both farmers and governments for their failure to act. Arab bloggers in Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait and Egypt are also feeling the pinch, and writing about it too.
Worries continue to circulate in Cambodia that nearly 500,000 children could start missing meals due to a 20% increase in the price of rice. However, a dramatic increase in rice production may not be beyond hope in this country. Farmers here can cultivate two or three harvests per year on the same piece of land.
The latest riots
Two days of riots broke out on April 6 and 7 in Egypt, where  prices of staples have doubled since 2004 (and in some cases quadrupled). At least two people were killed and 111 people – including police – were injured (See our special coverage on Egypt's General Strike).
In Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, protesters blocked roads and burned tires, demanding the government cut taxes on key imports.
Just days later, four people were killed and 25 injured in riots in Haiti, where the prices of rice, beans, and fruit have increased 50% in the past 12 months. Less than a week after the violent demonstrations, Haiti's prime minister was ousted in a vote of no confidence.
For Natifnatal, a Haitian currently in Abu Dhabi, the food crisis offers simple math:
For those who don't even know the basics can present the equation: hunger + poverty + rising prices = demonstrations + the Prime Minister's resignation + violence, and argue that an increase in food aid would suffice to reduce hunger.
Even as a cargo plane crashed in Kinshasa on April 15 killing 75 people, Congolese blogger Du Cabiau à Kinshasa, ruminated on a more silent, less telegenic disaster facing the country: the doubling of food prices in the same week.
The effects on trade
So many countries of the developing world import a large percentage of the foodstuffs necessary to feed their populations. Rising prices means problems grow quickly. Even for food exporters, rising prices has touched a nerve. In Korea, one of the world’s most prolific rice producers, a Netizen argues that rice should be withheld from free trade talks, allowing the country to do as it seems fit with its strategic commodity.
Sometimes protectionism won’t be enough, however. As the price of rice has increased throughout Southeast Asia’s rice growing nations, governments were forced to plea for calm and pray that domestic prices would soon begin to fall. The situation is doubly bad for rice importers like the Philippines, where the poor have felt the brunt of the price increase. Indonesia, another importer, has canceled its imports due to high prices. Cambodia and Vietnam have abandoned exports. Bloggers in Malaysia report rumors of rice shortages. The Government of Brunei could move to subsidize food staples like cooking oil, flour, milk, eggs and chicken.
For decades food prices in Japan have been in stasis, which is strange for a country that imports almost every staple other than rice. Not any longer. Price increased for the first time in more than two decades. The same goes for milk products, which consumers been paying for at the same rate for three decades. Beer, cooking oil, and soy sauce also experienced increases.
A silent killer
In Bangladesh, where people spend as much as 80% of their salaries on food, high prices for rice have hit the middle class. It’s much worse for the poor, as media reports confirm several hunger deaths. The country’s military chief raised the ire of many when he suggested people replace rice by eating potatoes.
In Tajikistan, where people already faced a winter-long energy shortage, it looks like more than 260,000 people are in need of immediate food assistance. Worries persist that this number could grow to 2 million by winter.
Talk about globalization. In Yemen, the prices of staples have risen while the cost of certain electronic goods have dropped. Kuwait has also seen price increases, no thanks to the falling U.S. dollar.
In Burkina Faso, where people felt the government sat on its hands as prices in some sectors increased more than 40% since the beginning of the year,  riots sparked in several cities throughout the country in late February, resulting in plenty of property damage and more than 300 arrests.
At about the same time in Cameroon, anger over rising prices and falling wages sparked three days of violent confrontation with the military. Anger was also fed by President Paul Biya's attempt to change the constitution so he could sit for a third term.
The story is far from over. We’ll keep posting updates – so please check our Special Coverage page on the Global Food Crisis 2008 often.

author: John Liebhardt


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Hong Kong: Olympic Torch Relay, the Virtual and the Real · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The real Olympic torch relay in Hong Kong has been criticized as a political decision as most of the non-athletic torch bearers were from the pro-China political clan. In the street, the Beijing supporters also out-numbered the protesters for human rights. However, in the virtual torch relay organized by local bloggers, the viewpoints are much more diverse.
The virtual torch relay, blogtorch08, was organized by More than one on April 8, dukedom of Aberdeen wrote:
如果香港要有火炬手，應該找些不是垃圾的運動員，應該找些平民百姓甚至弱勢社群，而不是給那些政治人物或富貴人家來曝光。
我是這樣的想法，你也可以有你的想法。我還是覺得，同一個世界，最好有更多不同的夢想。
This is what I think, you can have your own opinion. I still feel that one world is better to have many diverse dreams.
Up till now, there are more than 70 blog posts. Many of them criticized the arrangement of real torch relay. Ngsezhin pointed out that:
主辦大國以一幫錦衣衛護著那可憐的小火點到處跑。與其說是傳聖火，倒不如說是示威罷？其實這也是有跡可尋。傳聖火的起源不是古代奧運會，而是 1936 年柏林奧運會中希特拉用以宣傳納粹德國的公關手段！
Nikita also pointed out that the Beijing Olympics has been politicized since the very first day:
中共在申奧時聲稱會改善人權狀況，北京申奧委副主席劉敬民的話：「由北京舉辦奧運會將有助於中國的人權事業發展。」(出處)，將政治和體育混為一談的始作俑者是中共當局…
Stannum from Sidney talked about the history of Olympic torch relay protest in Australia to explain that there is nothing “Holy” about the torch. Tintin also pointed out that the Chinese translation has missed interpreted “Olympic flame” into “Olympic sacred flame”. Ah Tong followed the discussion and wondered who was the idiot to state the rules that “the Olympic sacred fire shall never be put out, not even for one second”? Singsit referred to ancient Greek mythology and pointed out that the sacred fire is originated from Prometheus’ action against the Gods, stealing fire from heaven:
假如當年普羅米和我們一般的昧著良心，不為正義去挑戰權力，不肯冒險作公民抗命的話，今天，世上還有火可以給舉起來嗎！？討厭那些人一手把人類最重要最寶貴的人權自由都沒收在手裡，然後涎著臉胡說：「聖火」不容侵犯。
Richey disagreed with the connection of Olympics and human rights issue and wanted to voice out his discontent towards the people who are using the Olympic as an excuse to force-feed something that is totally irrelevant to the Olympic game.
Daihung made fun of the Olympic torch relay protest and said that Torchsnatching has turned into an official competition in 2008 Beijing Olympics. He even made a poster for this event:
Edmund Hui on the other hand tried to figure out how to create an inextinguishable Olympic torch. Harry Potter’s magic is one of his suggestions.
Infilmity noticed that the official name of the 08 torch relay is called “harmonious trip” and he foresaw that news and information regarding the Olympics would be “harmonized”. Technologypark complained about the harmonized measure (deleting photos with pro-Tibet protesters) in mainland China BBS forum and exclaimed that “Let’s all die in Harmony”.
Rosery joined the “Human Right in Tibet” demonstration in London and she was happy that the torch would not past through Taiwan this time.
Heart of Kafka tried to explain the Chinese logic in the Torch relay protect campaign:
中國很辛苦的掙了個資格。現在錢我交了﹐場地我建了﹐你才和我玩杯葛? 還要搶火熄火? 西藏問題這麼多年你不出聲﹐現在就比CCTV更CCTV的說中國的不是?
不過也好﹐西方傳媒與那些連西藏也不知道在哪的示威份子達成了一個中國共產黨也不能做到的目標 – 團結海外華人的”愛國”心。
Well, western media and those protesters who don’t even know where Tibet is have help the CCP to achieve a goal – united overseas Chinese.
Shadow Cabinet pointed out that the fate of China is still caught in the victim imagination during the war time. It is unreasonable that a strong country would feel threaten by a non-existing country – Tibet.
Back to the real Olympic torch relay in Hong Kong today, Tsang Hin Chi (a pro-China businessman) and Leung Chun-ying (an Executive Council member) are two most controversial figures. Point South supported both for them because their existence is a proof on the political character of the Beijing Olympics.
Chonghead has a summary of today protest action with photos and video clips:
10:35am: Protest Banner action at Tsimshatsiu: One protest banner “Human right repression” was confiscated while another one on “Release Hu Jia” was hanged out at Chungking Mansion during the relay.
10:45am: Human rights and free Tibet protesters were surrounded and attacked by pro-China cheering team.
13:00pm: Students’ protest placards were confiscated by police.
16:00pm: A protester was surrounded by cover-up polices who confiscated his protest placards and threatened to arrest him.


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Hungary: May Day · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Spectrum writes about May Day in Hungary.


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India: Recipes from Bengal · Global Voices
Rezwan

Indian Food Blog Bong Mom's CookBook introduces its readers to the world of Bengali cuisine in a two part series. Part I displays recipes in the following categories – Rice, Veggie Side Dish, Dal, Complete Meal, Seafood, Meat and Eggs. Part II has recipes of Chutney, Dessert, Snacks and Drink.

author: Rezwan


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India, USA: Is there really a food crisis? · Global Voices
Rezwan

In a podcast interview Kamla Bhatt talks with Lal David Rai, a second generation farmer of Mexican-Punjabi-Indian origin on the perceived shortage of rice in the USA and the global food shortage.


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Israel Dumping Raw Sewage on Palestinians  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Talking about the “promise” 60 years ago of an Israel that will be “a light unto the nations,” Lebanese blogger Moussa Bashir links to a story about how Israeli settlements are dumping raw sewage into neighbouring Palestine.


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Jamaica: Poem for Bob · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Geoffrey Philp posts Jamaican Rachel Manley's poem Bob Marley's Dead.


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Japan: Return of the Gas Tax · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Japan's “temporary” gasoline tax [ja] of 25 yen per liter of gas, extended for over 30 years and funding some 5000 road construction programs, has been re-instated after a short-lived battle with the opposition, and people aren't happy about it. Popularity of the administration of Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo, according to a newspaper poll on April 21st by Asahi newspaper, has dropped to a record low 25 percent, down from 31% at the end of March. A poll meanwhile showed that 63 percent of Japanese disapprove of the reinstatement of the gas tax, a sentiment reflected in blogs and forums as well.
Blogger Spray criticizes people who support the gas tax because they think that it will help the environment:
賛成派には色々な意見があるが笑ってしまうのが、環境への影響という。どだい今の日本は新車が売れなくて大変だと報道されているのに、税率が低くなったからといって急にガソリン消費量が劇的に上がるわけね〜ってつうの。車を維持するためには多大な経済的負担が必要で公共交通機関がないに等しい地方や俺のような仕事でどうしても車を使わなくてはいけないという人間以外はもつ必要もないんだから。今の若者が昔に比べて車を所有しなくなっているといわれているんだから、ＣＯ２は特に増えるわけではないだろう。
Blogger bluetear described their experience of the hike in gas prices:
私も昨日の内にいつも行くGSに早めに行ったんですが、もう長い列が出来てました。
驚きました〜駆け込み給油をする人がこんなにも多いとは(>_< )昨日は125円で満タン入れましたが、今度入れる時は信じられない程の値に上がってるって事ですよね？最近は、バターが品切れで価格高騰していたり、小麦粉やいろんな物も値上がりして、家計を預かる身は大変です・.。*゜・。。・゜／【＞△＜】＼ｴｰﾝ皆さんの場所ではもうガソリンかなり値上がりしましたか？
Blogger kochibox had a harder time:
朝の出勤時間からすでにGSには駆け込み給油の車が３０〜４０台ほど列を作っていました。
「ま、仕事帰りには少し落ち着いているだろう」とタカをくくっていましたが、
とんでもない！車列はさらに長くなり、数え切れないほどの長蛇！
さすがに仕事帰りに並ぶ気力も無く家に帰りましたが、うーん、やはり給油しとかないと・・
夕食後、さすがにさっきよりは・・・などと希望的観測を持ちながらいざ出陣！
もちろん惨敗。
セルフ給油所はあきらめ、近くの有人スタンドに行ったのですが、なんとそこは
「売り切れ」の文字が！！
始めて見たゾ！売り切れなんて！　さて、現在午後１１時。どうするオレ！？

author: Chris Salzberg


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Jordan: Blog About Palestine Day  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian blogger Qwaider announces that May 15 is the Blog for Palestine Day.


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Jordan: Saudi Golden Era  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“With the oil prices through the roof, and Saudi's massive investments in education and infrastructure, I think it's fair to call it the “Golden Era” of Saudi Arabia. And, I think this is Saudi's chance to secure their post-oil future,” writes Arrabbi, from Jordan.


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Kuwait: Activity Filled Week  · Global Voices
Abdullatif AlOmar

It was an activity-filled week for Kuwaiti bloggers, who spent time in a shooting range, doing charity work and weighing their options for the parliamentary elections later this month.
Yousef over at somecontrast writes about his visit to the shooting range – one of the many attractions in Kuwait.
I went yesterday to the Mayadeen shooting range with my friend. It was my first time in Kuwait, I went once in Dubai and I loved it over there. In Dubai I used shotguns which made quite an impression on me.. and my shoulder.
From the shooting range, we move to a touching project, led by a group of Kuwaiti girls called We Care, which also maintains a blog, describing their many activities. Their latest is a visit to a nursing home, where they went laden with gifts and food.
According to the blog [Ar]:
الاسبوعين اللي طافوا كنا نستعد لهذا اليوم .. هاليوم كان غير عن اللي قدموه we care .. بما انه طموحنا نهتم بكل فئات المجتمع .. هاليوم كان رحلة الى دار المسنين ..رايحين نقابل 18 مسنه فقط .. اهم اللي حالاتهم النفسيه والمرضيه تسمح لهم يقابلون الناس ويسولفون .. الباجي مو اجتماعيين او المرض يمنعهم.
Because our hopes is to cover all sectors of society, today we paid a visit to the Elderly Centre, where we will be meeting with 18 women, who are in a condition to meet people and chat. The rest were not sociable or were sick. We spent the previous two weeks at We Care preparing for this day, which
was different from any other.
At the centre, the blogger describes how touched the volunteers were:
عقب قعدنا وياهم نسولف ونصب لهم جاي وقهوه ..
ماخش عنكم قلبي عورني وكنت احاول امسك روحي كثر ماقدر.. وايد من القروب يطلعون بره ويردون يدشون بس عشان مايبين عليهم الحزن.. ما ننلام والله..
قعدت ويانا وحده كنا نسولف سوالف عاديه ونضحك وياهم مانبي نعرف منو يابهم والا شحقه وليش نبيهم ينسون.. هالمواضيع ماتستاهل تنفتح علشان ما نضيق خلقهم ويضيق خلقنا.. بدون مايتكلمون و خنقتنا العبره شلون لو تكلموا!؟
قعدنا مع وحده نسألها مرتاحه مستانسه وشسمج .. سوالف عاديه بنص الحجي قالت انا اخواني ماشوفهم كلش وخواتي مايزوروني بس ساعات يزوروني الخميس وكله يقولون لي بناخذج وويروحون ويخلوني وغطت روحها بالملفع و قامت تبجـي… انا عن نفسي قمت ماقدرت .. موقف صج يحس الواحد مو بس يأثر ييجرح يخليك تحلف مليون مره لو شنو ماكانوا امك وابوك جاسيين ماتقطهم هالقطه .. تحس بنعمه ما فكرت تحس فيها من قبل…
We sat, chatting with them, and pouring tea and coffee for them. I won't hide from you how much my heart hurt and how I was trying hard to hold myself but I couldn't. Many members of the group used to excuse themselves and go out, just so that they don't show their emotions and sadness. They cannot be blamed really. One of the women was chatting to us, talking about everyday matters and laughing. We didn't ask them who brought them to the centre and why, because we wanted them to forget. These are topics which shouldn't be opened so that we don't bother them and ourselves. Without them saying anything, we were choked by our tears. What would happen if they spoke?!
We asked one of the women whether she was satisfied and happy and her name. She spoke normally to us and then said that she doesn't see her brothers and that her sisters rarely visit her, sometimes on Thursdays, where they would promise her to return her home with them before leaving without her. She covered her face and started to sob. I couldn't take it and had to leave. It was a difficult situation which really hurt and made you think that however cruel your parents were, you would never throw them out like this. You feel a blessing you have never felt before.
When it came for the volunteers to leave, the blogger writes:
يت حزة الروحه وانا اسلم على اللي نادتني قتلها استانستي؟ قالت وايد قتلها تبين نزورج بعد؟ قالت تعالوا كل يوم ابيكم اتزوروني احبكم انا! …شوفوا شلون قلوبهم بيضه وصافيه ويحبون اي احد يحسون انه اهتم فيهم حتى لو ساعه…
While saying our goodbyes, one of the elderly women called me towards her. I asked her if she was happy. She said she was very happy. I asked her if she wanted us to visit her again. She said: “Come everyday. I want you to visit me. I love you!” .. See how kind-hearted they are and how they love anyone, even those who took care of them for one hour.
Away from the centre, Bu Maryoom, over at 5-q8 writes about female candidates running for the elections.
Photocredit: somecontrast

author: Abdullatif AlOmar


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Macau: Will the torch fire the country? · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Nuno Lima Bastos [pt] writes an article about two pieces of news this week: the arrest of an individual suspected of instigating the Olympic torch theft in Macao and the entry refusal for two pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. “The two men complained to the South China Morning Post and, frankly, the image of Macao starts to get “fired” even before the Olympic flame arrives here.”

author: Paula Góes


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Middle East: Police Meet Workers on May 1  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

May Day is the day workers around the world rally for better working conditions and higher wages. In the Middle East, bloggers mark the day with posts and photographs reporting what happened, what the day means for them, and why it is a reason for celebration.
Turkey:
Our first stop in in Turkey, where Erkan Saka says Labour Day celebrations were met with excessive force by police. Posting pictures of demonstrators being chased by police, he notes:
Like last year, there was an unproportional use of police power.
He further adds:
[M]ainstream Turkish press has become pro-labor today in order to develop another strike at the government. However, one point is missed: Unions knew that there would be violent scenes and instead of designated areas for demonstrations, they declared days before to send their workers to areas that police would react….
Jordan:
Naseem Tarawnah, from Jordan, too wasn't too optimistic about the day and writes:
I always found labor day in Jordan to be a bit ironic. What’s it really about? A day off? From what? For whom? According to unofficial numbers, unemployment in the country is as high as 30%, and the remaining people who are employed don’t make over 200JD’s (US$280) a month.
Iran:
In Iran, Tabuot [Fa] says that workers have been under a lot of pressure in recent years and several magazines/sites covering workers’ news have been filtered and banned in the last few months. According to the blogger, reliable sources report that there are more than 100,000 child workers in Iran, with many of them who could be facing serious health problems. Tabout adds that several workers have been arrested by security forces in the last year. The blogger does not say whether they faced any charges or not.
Lebanon:
From Lebanon, Rami Zurayk analyses news reports on May Day. He writes:
In the economy page, Rasha Abu Zeki nails it again: a great report on the people who actually earn the minimum wage: $200. This is an issue of contention because the hawks in the successive Lebanese governments have always denied the fact that there are people who earn minimum wage in Lebanon, and have hidden behind this argument to refuse to raise the wages. Rasha interviews 3 people from different ages and family conditions, and the stories they tell are dramatic. The main point is: to live in Lebanon, families need closer to $800 a month, so increasing the minimum wage to $260 isn't going to do much. People are supported by the remittances of relatives working abroad. Note that the $60 increase has not been approved by the government in spite of the increase in cost of living.
Still in Lebanon, A Diamond in Sunlight, turns her attention to housemaids. Being a holiday, she spent the day with her in-laws, where she notes:
For the maids of Lebanon, Labor Day probably merely means more family members around to cook for and clean up after.
Razan, meanwhile, was stuck at work on Labour Day. But she makes a point of posting pictures of May Day celebrations from Farah Kubaissi's Flickr account, which can be here here.
Writing on her blog, Farah says:
13 thousands people responded to the call of the LCP (Lebanese Communist Party) and the Leftist Gathering and the National Syndicates Union for a popular demonstration on May 1 in Lebanon.U could c a very big red wave flowing the streets of the city.
let every day, May 1…
Arab Democracy provides more information about the labour struggle in Lebanon.
Palestine:
Palestinian Al Falasteenyia, who lives in the US, caught some action from the May Day rally and shares an encounter she experienced here:
I've been so busy with the situation in Palestine lately i almost forgot- but didnt. got off work today and joined the protest for a bit before heading off to class. as i waited to cross the street to join the crowd, a white man turned to me and said: i'm so not in the mood for this.
not in the mood for worker's rights? not in the mood for rights of immigrants? not in the mood to stand in solidarity with other human beings? not in the mood to take a stand and call for justice?
excuse me, mr. america, when will you be in the mood? let me know, so i can write it down in my calendar and mark it down as:
THE DAY WE GET ALL THE RIGHTS WE DESERVE.
Back in Palestine, Palestine Free Voice provides pictures and an article on a May Day rally in Gaza.
Jordan:
Our last stop is in Jordan again, where Ola Eliwat marks the day with a positive note. She writes:
[W]hether you were the CEO of a multi-national company or just selling newspapers at the traffic lights, for each and everyone of you making this world unstoppingly viable: It’s labour day, and you’ve earned it.


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Morocco: Rage and sadness at this weekend’s Casablanca factory fires · Global Voices
Lydia Beyoud

This weekend saw two deadly fires, one in a mattress and another in a textile factory, break out in Morocco's economic capital, Casablanca. Dozens of people died from asphyxia after being locked into their workplace by employers. The Moroccan blogosphere responds with questions and expressions of anger and sadness.
In a post entitled “Morocco in Mourning [fr]” the author of Zainabi qualified these incidents as a “national catastrophe [fr].” He went on to add: “When we see [major Moroccan media source] 2M covering royal activities before speaking about these victims, we feel even worse, even more unhappy. Upsetting, saddening, revolting! [fr]”
Blogger Moi dans tous mes etats [Me, in all my states] questions the process of implementing workplace safety measures in a post entitled “Welcome tohell in casablanca : 55 sur 100 … c'est beaucoup!!” (Welcome to Hell in Casablanca: 55 out of 100…that's a lot!), as well as calling upon Moroccan unions to remember these events come May Day:
55% est un grand chiffre ….
55% des ouvriers d'une usine à Lyssasfa sont morts suite à une incendie …
55 sur 100 sont morts principalement par asphixie …
55 sur 100 sont morts parce que le patron a fermé l'usine à clef pour que le prolétariat travaille …
55 sur 100 sont morts et les bouches d'incendie ne marchaient par …
55 sur 100 sont victimes du capitalisme barbare, de la corruption, …
Où est le controle des services des inspecteurs du travail …
Où est le gars qui a autorisé l'usine sans vérifier les installations de sécurité …
A quoi bon de parler encore de la sécurité dans les lieux du travail?
J'espère qu'au premier Mai, nos syndicats parleront aussi des conditions de travail …
Pour l'instant, je présente mes sincères condoléances aux familles des victimes.
Anglophone blogger Adilski at A Moro in America reminds readers that all of Moroccan society is implicated in such tragedies in small ways:
Everybody knows that corruption and lack of laws’ enforcement is the main cause of this tragic event. But, there is a sense of complicity amongst all groups within the Moroccan society who turn the blind eye on violations and lax attitude towards the violation of laws. We all let it slide when Mqeddem takes few dozen Dirhams to let you build an extra room in your building or expand a garden to the public domain. We don't complain when a Gendarme lets it slide for 30 Dirhams when your buddy was 20 kms above the legal speed, but we complain about the high rate of accidents in Morocco. The pig picture of the country's situation is made up of small details; and we are almost involved in all those small details. If we turn the blind eye on the small violations, we get paid back in big calamities such as the horrendous road accidents and the mass deaths of impoverished workers at a sweat shop of highly inflammable material.[en]
Besides venting his own anger and dismay at this weekend's recent events, Jamal, the author of Comment Vous le dire? (How can I tell you?) questions the entire administrative apparatus which allowed for the factory to pass safety checks in the first place, and calls for an examination of all documents related to the construction of these sites:
Ça fait terriblement mal que de voir se consumer, autant de vies humaines, sur l’autel de l’avidité des uns et sur celui de la cupidité des autres.
Ces métaphores peuvent peut être choquer, je le sais ! Néanmoins l’intention, comme vous devez vous en doutez, ça n’est pas de le faire.
Le but, c’est de dire combien peut être soudaine, malheureuse et inacceptable une tragédie qui fait une bonne demie centaine de victimes en très peu de temps. C’est de dire aussi toute ma rage, et celle, sans aucun doute, de millions de marocains qui ne peuvent ni comprendre, ni admettre, qu’on puisse perdre, en moins de six mois, autant de victimes des causes de l’incurie, du laisser-aller et de l’inconscience qui prévalent dans notre administration.
Nous avions soulevé, en moult circonstances, et attiré, plusieurs fois, l’attention des pouvoirs publics sur les catastrophes qui peuvent survenir, à tout moment, du fait du non respect des normes de construction et de sécurité lors de l’édification de bâtisses à usage d’habitation, à usage administratif ou à usage industriel.
Encore que dans le cas des bâtiments administratifs les normes sont relativement bien respectées. Pourquoi alors ne le sont-ils plus dès lors que le promoteur est un particulier ou une entreprise ? Tout simplement parce qu’il est un ramassis de corrompus qui sévissent en toute impunité dans notre administration, qui pourrissent la vie aux citoyens, et qui parfois, comme c’était le cas à Kenitra il y a quelques semaines et samedi à Lissasfa, abrègent, à la place du Mektoub, des vies humaines.
Difficile d’admettre en effet que des femmes et des hommes, partis deux heures plutôt pour aller travailler, se retrouvent soudainement et traîtreusement prises au piège d’un incendie qui prendra tout son temps pour les calciner et les asphyxier sans qu’elles aient pu avoir la moindre chance de pouvoir s’échapper d’une usine dont on avait pris le soin de sceller toutes les issues pour éviter, dit-on, d’éventuel vols.
C’est trop facile, et surtout trop tard, pour dire, maintenant que 55 personnes ont péri, que les fenêtres étaient grillagées, que les issues de secours étaient inexistantes ou que le proprio de l’usine ne respectait pas les normes de sécurité.
J’aimerais bien savoir où étaient les préposés aux contrôles avant que cela n’arrive ? Où étaient surtout les consciences de tous ceux qui avaient délivrées toutes les attestations de conformité aux normes de sécurité au promoteur du projet ?
Si questionnements et poursuites devront avoir lieu, ce qui nous semble être le minimum que les pouvoirs publics doivent faire dans pareils cas, il y aura lieu alors de remonter toute la filière administrative qui a eu à instruire les différents dossiers concernant cette usine…
Même pour un non spécialiste, et rien que vue de dehors, cette construction n’a pas les allures d’une usine. Depuis quand construit-on des usines comme on construit des immeubles ? Sachant que les mesures de prévention les plus efficaces sont celles qui s’exercent en amont, dès la conception et la construction des locaux. Elles permettent de garantir de bonnes conditions d’évacuation, de mieux prendre en compte l’isolement, la séparation et les distances de sécurité pour empêcher, ou limiter, la propagation de l’incendie, ainsi que le choix des matériaux pour assurer la stabilité de la structure et réduire l’émission de gaz et fumées en cas de sinistre.
Vue de dedans, je ne vous dis pas que cette usine ne répondait, selon les réponses apportées à nos questions par ceux qui y travaillaient, à aucune des normes de sécurité exigibles. Pas de détecteurs de fumées, de chaleur ou de flamme, pas de dispositifs de désenfumage, pas de système de détection d’incendies, pas d’extincteurs mobiles, pas de robinets d’incendies armés, pas de cloisons ni de portes coupe-feux, pas d’issues de secours….
J’arrête à ce niveau la liste de ce qui aurait du nécessairement exister sur ce site avant la délivrance de toute autorisation pour l’exercice d’une activité industrielle…
Observer 2 minutes de silence et de recueillement, le 27 avril de chaque année, à la mémoire des 55 victimes de Lissasfa serait le meilleur hommage que l'on pourrait rendre à cette classe ouvrière qui souvent paye cash l'incurie des uns et l'avidité des autres…
These metaphors might be shocking, I know! Nevertheless the intention, as you may suspect, lies not therein.
The goal is to say how suddenly, unfortunately and unacceptably a tragedy that takes over 50 victims can happen in such a short period of time. It’s also to say how much anger I have, as much as millions of Moroccans, who can neither understand nor admit that so many victims can be lost in such a short time, due to carelessness and recklessness.
We have raised in multiple circumstances and drawn the attention of public services several times to the catastrophes that can occur at any moment from not respecting construction and safety regulations when buildings are being built for habitation, industry or businesses.
Also, administrative buildings usually do meet standards. So why don’t they do the same when a real estate developer is working for an individual or a company? Quite simply because they’re a bunch of corrupted jerks who crack down on our administration which decays citizens’ lives and even sometimes, as in the case of Kenitra a few weeks ago and this past Saturday in Lissasfa, abridge human lives instead of leaving it up to Fate [Mektoub].
It’s difficult to admit that women and men who’d left two hours earlier suddenly and treacherously find themselves trapped in a fire which took its own sweet time to burn off and asphyxiate them without them being able to even attempt to escape from the factory, all of whose exits, they say, were sealed off so as to prevent theft.
It’s too easy and especially too late, now that 55 people have perished, to say that the windows were barred, the safety exits inexistent or that the factory owner didn’t respect security regulations.
I’d like to know where the security inspectors were before all this occurred? Particularly, where were the consciences of all those who had attested to this building’s conforming to safety codes when it was being developed?
If questioning and follow-ups are to take place, this seems to us the minimum that the public authorities must do [and] in this case, the entire administrative network will have to be inspected for all those who hold dossiers concerning this factory…
Even to a non-specialist, and only seen from outside, this construction doesn’t look like a factory. Since when do we build factories like apartment buildings? Knowing that the most effective preventative measures take place during the planning stages, right at the conception and construction of the premises; they allow for ease of evacuation, take isolation, separation and distance into account for safety to prevent or limit the propagation of fire, as well as the choice of building materials to assure the structure’s stability and reduce the emissions of gas and smoke in a fire area.
Seen from inside, I won’t tell you that this factory did not respond, according to the responses our questions received from those who worked there, to even the basic norms mandated for safety. No smoke, heat or fire detectors, no ventilation system, no fire extinguishers, no firewalls or doors, no safety exits.
I’ll stop here in this list of everything that should have existed on site before it was given any authorization to exercise industrial activity…
Let’s observe 2 minutes of silence and contemplation, every 27 of April from now on, in the memory of these 55 Lissasfa victims, which will be the best homage we can give to this working class who so often pays for others’ greed and carelessness in cash [i.e. their lives].
Blogger Hdidane vents his anger through his post Serie noire: 2e incendie a Casa (Black -or fatal- Series: Second Fire in Casa):
7didane* est furieux !
Mêmes conditions : Des gens enfermés dans des locaux non conformes aux lois de sécurité marocaines.
Hier soir, un 2ème incendie  à eu tout son temps pour griller des ouvriers qui passaient leurs nuits sur place.
Leurs cris de secours ont réveillé les riverains, sans les faire sortir de leur prison.
J’attends l’EXEMPLE !
7didane a perdu sa voie.
Comment faire pour permettre aux syndiques de publier la liste des usines non conformes aux normes ?
7didane étudie le problème. Peut-être un site web avec la possibilité de noté des entreprises et laisser des critiques,  et des mails réguliers aux responsables avec la liste des criminels.
Le fils de pute qui ne sait pas maitriser sa chaine de provisionning sans emprisonner ses ouvriers, pour ne pas voler dit-on, n’a pas les compétences et n’est pas assez mature pour obtenir des crédits ou même avoir la licence d’ouvrir.
CRIMINELS !
One of the authors of English-speaking blog The View from Fez writes:
The mattress factory blaze is the worst industrial incident in Morocco. Moroccan Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa who visited the site, at the head of an official delegation sent by King Mohammed VI, pledged that an investigation into the cause of the blaze would also examine security measures and work conditions at the factory.
Blogger Larbi responds not only by calling into question the monarchy, the prime minister and the government, but also to the revelation of an amateur video, which many bloggers are criticising as being in poor taste, made at the scene of one of the fires:
Nous n’irons pas jusqu’à dire que quand une incendie grave et dramatique se déclenche quelque part, le roi n’a pas besoin de donner ses « Hautes instructions royales pour secourir les victimes.».
Nous n’irons pas jusqu’à dire que les secours doivent être apportés spontanément et sur le champ. Sans attendre des instructions royales ! Si toutefois le respect de la vie humaine signifie encore quelque chose.
Nous n’irons pas jusqu’à dire que tout ce qui va être dit dans les prochains jours sur le drame humain de Lissasfa a été dit auparavant , et à plusieurs occasions, notamment lors de l’effondrement de l’immeuble de Kenitra! Et qu’entre temps rien n’a changé ou presque.
Nous n’irons pas jusqu’à dire que des usines comme celui de Lissasfa il y en a probablement beaucoup d’autres et que des immeubles comme celui de Kenitra il y en a aussi beaucoup d’autres au Maroc . Nous n’irons pas qu’à dire que face à la médiocrité et l’incompétence des gérants de ce pays, il faut hélas se résigner à attendre d’autres incendies et effondrements pour les découvrir .
Nous n’irons pas jusqu’à dire que le silence du premier ministre nous n’étonne pas tant depuis longtemps il a été réduit à un simple fonctionnaire chargé de recevoir les ambassadeurs et les syndicats et que s’il faut chercher une responsabilité politique dans cette affaire il faut la chercher auprès de ceux qui décident et qui gouvernent…
Nous n’irons pas jusqu’à dire que nous avons beaucoup de peine pour les familles des victimes et que c’est qui nous chagrine le plus c’est que ce drame aurait pu et aurait du être évité . Que ce qui nous chagrine le plus c’est qu’il y avait des morts avant Lissasfa et qu’il y aura des morts après Lissasfa .
Non! Nous ne dirons rien de tout cela pour éviter d’être taxés de nihilistes. Nous nous contentons de ceci : ce film de très mauvais goût n’amuse plus personne !
We won't go so far as to say that help should be given spontaneously and immediately. Without waiting for royal instructions ! If, that is, respect for human life still means anything anymore.
We won’t go so far as to say that everything that will be said in the coming days about the human drama at Lissasfa has already been said, and repeatedly, notably when the apartment building in Kenitra crumbled [crushing residents inside]! And that in between these two incidents nothing has hardly changed…
We won’t go so far as to say that there are probably lots of other factories like Lissasfa and apartment buildings like the one in Kenitra throughout Morocco. We wont go so far as to say that when confronted with mediocrity and incompetence of this country’s managers, we must –alas!- resign ourselves to waiting for subsequent fires and building collapses to discover them.
We won’t go so far as to say that the prime minister’s silence does not surprise us since he was reduced to a simple civil servant a long time ago, only charged with receiving ambassadors and unions and that if you want to find those politically responsible in this whole affair, you’ll have to find them among those the decision-makers and the governors…
We won’t go so far as to say that we feel a tremendous amount of sorrow for the victims’ families, nor that that which saddens us the most is that this drama could have been avoided. [No,] that which saddens us the most is that there were deaths before Lissasfa and that there will be deaths after Lissasfa.
No ! We won’t say anything about all that so as to avoid being charged as nihilists. We will suffice ourselves with this: this film is in very poor taste and doesn’t amuse anyone!
The View from Fez also reports that:
King Mohammed VI sent a condolence message to the families of the victims and vowed to take in charge the hospitals and burial expenses of the victims.
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*For Arabic-speakers who seek to transliterate certain Arabic sounds into the latin alphabet, the 7 symbol is used to indicate a strong velarized “H” sound.

author: Lydia Beyoud


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Mozambique: Not much to celebrate on the Workers’ Day · Global Voices
Paula Góes

“Right on May 1st, between going to the march with banners saying “the best for workers”, knowing that he is speaker is the boss who pays badly and sometimes is even the slave-owner of our days, or going to hit the bottle and lift the thumb for all who see me to say that I am well, I preferred to pay a visit to the blogs around”. Check out what Reflectindo sobre Moçambique [pt] found out.


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Nepal: Uncertainty after election · Global Voices
Rezwan

Maila Baje of Nepali Notebook analyzes the post election politics in Nepal: “Despite being the largest party in the newly elected assembly, the Maoists are not quite sure they would get to head the government.”


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Pakistan: A 20-20 cricket league in 2009 · Global Voices
Rezwan

Rohail Butt reports in The Pakistani Spectator  that watching the financial success of the Indian Premier League cricket, the Pakistan Cricket Board has announced their own Pakistan Premier League, which will start from next year.


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Russia: Ingush Opposition and FSB · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Valery Dzutsev writes about Ingush opposition, FSB – and the usual suspects: “the dark powers of abroad.”


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Russia: Political Cartoons · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog writes about political cartoons in Russia.


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Russia: Putin’s Legacy · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog discusses Vladimir Putin's “footprint on Russia’s current and future politics.”


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Saudi Arabia: Imprisoned in the Office  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Have you ever found yourself working late in the office? From Saudi Arabia, Ar6abon [Ar] shares with us this fascinating story about how he was locked up in his office one night.
He explains:
احمد الله تعالى خلال هذا الأسبوع اصبحت أداوم في الوظيفة الجديدة .
وبحكم أني جديد لازم أثبت جدارتي وحماسي واندفاعي
المكتب عبارة عن وكيل لشركة عالمية , ومكتب جدة لازال في طور التأسيس , أُعتبر أنا أول موظف في المكتب ..
ولازلت حتى هذه اللحظة أداوم لوحدي .. اسرح وأمرح
حصل لي موقف أمس .. لا أحسد عليه أبدا
سبق وأخذت معي مجموعة من الملفات والعقود والدراسات الخاصة من المكتب إلى البيت , لأقوم بقراءتها وتفحصها .. حتى أكون على إطلاع ومعرفة .
ليلة أمس خرجت من البيت الساعة 11 ونص مساءً , وأنا في اتجاه الكورنيش ..  مريت من قرب مقر العمل , قلت في نفسي : خليني انزل واحط الأوراق في المكتب .. وامشي
وبالفعل : طلعت للمكتب وتركت الأوراق , كان فيه شئ آخذت في قراءته , ومضى الوقت .. تفاجئت بأن الساعة صارت 12 ونص صباحا !! ..
قمت بسرعة لأخرج من المكتب , نزلت من المصعد .. وتفاجئت أن بوابة العمارة مغلقة
يظهر أن الحارس قام بإغلاق الباب بحكم أن الوقت تأخر , والمفترض أنه لا يوجد أحد في المكاتب والشركات .
وقتها أحسست بالإختنااااق .. لا يوجد أي طريقة للخروج أبدا !!
عدت للمكتب , شغلت المكيف .. وضحكت على نفسي شوي وبعدها اديييتها نومه على الكنب  ..
قمت الساعة 7 والنصف صباحا
(( الناس تدخل للمكاتب لبداية اليوم الوظيفي , وأنا خارج من المكتب ووجهي معفوس ومتجه للبيت ))
موقف عجيب صراحة هههههههههههههه ..
وش رآيكم في الموقف هذا ؟
I thank Allah that I have started working in my new job this week. And because I am a new employee, I had to work hard to prove my qualifications, enthusiasm and keenness to work. The office is an agent for an international company and the Jeddah office is still being established, and I am the first person employed there. Until now, I am the only one working there, having fun on my own. Yesterday something no one can envy happened to me. I had taken some folders, contracts and studies from the office home with me, so that I can read them and examine them closely, in order for me to know what was happening. I left home at 11.30pm, and while I was on the highway overlooking the Corniche (sea front), I pass by my office. I told myself: “Let me go down and return the papers to the office and leave.” And I did just that. I went up to the office and left the papers. Something caught my eyes, I started reading, and time flew. I was shocked to see it was 12.30am. I got up quickly to go home. I took the elevator down and was surprised to see the building doors locked. It seems that the security guard locked the doors, because it was late and all the offices in the companies had no staff at this time.
I felt suffocated. There was no way out for me at all!!
I returned to the office, turned on the air-conditioner and laughed a bit at myself. Afterwards, I slept on the sofa.
I woke up at 7.30am.
People were entering their offices to start their work day, while I was leaving the office with my face messed up, on my way home.
It was a strange experience.. haha .. what do you think of it?


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Saudi Arabia: Learning and Technology Symposium  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudi girls share their ideas on a Learning and Technology Symposium, held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on this blog.


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Serbia: Election Options · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Balkan Baby explains some of the issues behind the upcoming election in Serbia.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Food Crisis?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Blogging from St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Abeni says: “Our Prime Minister has said there is no food crisis on our shores and that may be so. However, there is no denying that cost of living has increased sharply which means that shopping is becoming quite an art”:

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Not Me and the Monarchy?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Both Nicholas Laughlin and Jumbie's Watch link to journalist BC Pires’ article in which he refers to Trinidad and Tobago as a monarchy.


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Trinidad & Tobago: The Business of Coffee · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

KnowProSE.com enjoyed most aspects of the Trade and Investment Conference in Trinidad and Tobago – except for the coffee: “Good coffee in the world means good business; it is the ink that flows through the hearts of business to the hands that sign the contracts. It is the PG universal language; it is the magic bean that connects.”


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Ukraine: Political Joke · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A contemporary Ukrainian political joke – at Ukrainiana.

author: Veronica Khokhlova