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Thailand: “Red Siam” Manifesto · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Thai academic Giles Ji Ungpakor is the author of the ‘Red Siam’ Manifesto which has energized political debates in recent weeks in Thailand. Giles recently fled Thailand to avoid persecution for “committing” lese majeste. He was accused of offending the Thai monarchy in his 2007 book, A Coup for the Rich: Thailand’s Political Crisis. Giles is now residing in the United Kingdom.
Excerpts from the ‘Red Siam’ manifesto
1. We must have freedom of expression and the freedom to choose our own government without repression and fear.
2. We must have equality. We have to abolish the mentality of “big people-little people”. We must abolish the practice of crawling to the royal family.
3. Our country must be a welfare state. Taxes must be levied on the rich. The poor are not a burden, but are partners in developing the country.
4. In our country the king should honour his constitutional role and stop intervening in politics.
5. For too long Thai society has been under the iron heel of the generals. We must cut the military budget and abolish the influence of the army in society ensuring that it can no long be an obstacle to democracy.
6. We must have justice. The judges should not claim power from the crown in order to stop people criticising their decisions. We must change the way that “contempt of court” laws are used to prevent accountability.
7. Citizens in towns and communities must take part in the management of all public institutions such as state enterprises, the media, schools and hospitals.
8. Our country must modernise. We need to develop the education system, transport and housing. We should create energy from wind and solar power to protect the environment.
9. Our country must be peace loving, not start disputes with neighbouring countries or support wars
Giles wrote the manifesto during his flight from Bangkok to London:
I was not going to leave the country with my tail between my legs, I was not going to run away. Once, I left the country, I decided to fight back without any restriction. I wrote the notes of the Manifesto on the airplane I flew from Bangkok to London.
He notes that the manifesto is not very progressive in a Western European context but in Thailand, it is already subversive:
I felt that really it was necessary for someone to say those things because it was in the mind of thousands of people in Thailand but nobody has said it. The reception has been tremendous; people have been really excited by the Manifesto, and they have been very supportive. Of course, the other side has been very angry, but that is what I expected. People have been sending this Manifesto on and so on. What is interesting is that this Manifesto, in a Western European context, is not very progressive. It is normal. In a Thai context, however, it is explosive.
He clarifies that the manifesto is “not just a critique of the King, it is (also) a critique of how the monarchy system is used in Thailand.”
My Manifesto is not necessarily just a critique of the King, it is a critique of how the monarchy system is used in Thailand. This is because I do not believe the King planned the Coup. I don’t believe that the King is necessarily even the most powerful person in Thailand. I think that the military, and those that surround themselves and legitimise what they’re doing by claiming royal patronage, are those who really have power in Thailand. It (the Manifesto) is more of a critique of them and their use of the monarchy.
John Francis Lee comments that Giles should have avoided writing an unnecessary criticism of the Thai King:
I wish that Giles’ manifesto had skipped the criticism of HM and stuck to the real point of contention. You cannot have it both ways: claiming to want HM the King out of politics and then criticizing him for not being active on the side you’re interested in.
As well, Giles’ harsh, unnecessary criticism of HM left the folks who signed “his” petition in a very awkward position in Thailand. Not everyone can pick up and fly home to Oxford. The folks who signed the petition were not making Giles their spokesman, or even agreeing with all he had said and stood for up to that point.But Giles’ manifesto has played them into the hands of the opposition. And his criticism of HM in his manifesto cast a shadow over the very good points he made that followed.
John was referring to the petition signed by several academics demanding authorities not to use lese majeste in Thailand since the law violates freedom of speech and academic freedom.
The manifesto has been cited as affecting the national security of Thailand. Authorities have asked executives of internet service providers to cooperate in “keeping watch for the circulation of the article.”
If your systems can enable filters to prevent access to it, please do so, as that would greatly benefit national security.  Please act urgently’
DoctorJ couldn’t understand why authorities would want to censor the document:
Why the “red siam” is so threatening to them, when in fact, very few people will agree with Giles on this? A wise guy can argue with loads of downside about the communist idea of Giles, but a moron will choose a foolish path like ones in the ICT.
Alex defends the manifesto because it is “explicitly pacifist”
The best thing about the manifesto, in fact, is that, for a change, we have a Thai who is not trying to impose his ideas on others. Oh, and the manifesto is explicitly pacifist.
Thailand Jumped the Shark describes the manifesto as a very revolutionary statement:
I think it is a very revolutionary statement. I agree with a large chunk of it, especially the criticisms against the military, the aristocratic elite, the court system, and PAD, but I think he is not doing the Red Shirt movement any favors by calling for a republic, and I don't think, if you really asked most Red Shirts, that they would want to abolish the monarchy and go to a republic.
I actually feel sorry for Jai, because I don't know how he could ever could go back to Thailand–unless it did become a republic. I don't see that happening soon.
The Red Shirts do not refer to leftists. Red is the color of the opposition. Many of them are supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. But Red Shirts claim the group is now moving on beyond Thaksin.
FACT – Freedom Against Censorship in Thailand notes that Giles’ flight and the ‘Red Siam’ manifesto have been a bombshell. Jotman underscores the historical significance of the manifesto:
This statement strikes me as both newsworthy and of historic significance. I am aware of no other such statement, personally signed by such a high profile Thai figure, having been issued in recent years.
The Nation's State credits the manifesto for generating debates about the monarchy:
I am not necessarily in agreement with Giles but I certainly appreciate his decision to fight back and to force discussion on the monarchy.
He is certainly right about his manifesto not being progressive in Europe, but it is nothing short to seditious in Thailand.
Al Jazeera has a report about the lese majeste and the political campaign launched by Giles:


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Thailand: “Thai-style democracy” · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Khi Kwai analyzes the two major and opposing political forces in Thailand and proposes several political reforms to establish a “Thai-style democracy.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Mong Palatino


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Trinidad & Tobago: Spending Habits  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

From Trinidad and Tobago, This Beach Called Life takes issue with the Prime Minister's spending habits (“$TT 3 million was spent on drapes for the Prime Minister’s mansion”), even as he calls on the rest of the population to tighten their belts.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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UK: ‘Stamping Out’ Media Racism Against Indigenous Peoples · Global Voices
Simon Maghakyan

Amid growing awareness about indigenous peoples’ issues in the world, British periodicals The Guardian and The Observer have new guidelines against using two phrases that activists say marginalize and de-legitimize indigenous peoples.
Survival International's campaign to Stamp Out racism against tribal people
The campaign against using terms like “primitive people” and “stone age” is headed by Survival International. Its Stamp It Out project asks supporters to be on the lookout for derogatory descriptions of tribal peoples in the media, and send postcards or e-cards to editor via their website.
Survival International Blog details the recent discussion in UK media about reporting on indigenous peoples:
British newspaper The Independent today carried a prominent opinion piece from Survival’s director, Stephen Corry. Since former BBC man Michael Buerk put his foot in it, global debate on the use of terms like ‘primitive’ to describe tribal peoples has reached a new pitch.
[…]The Guardian and The Observer papers now warn against the use of terms like ‘primitive’ and ’stone-age’ in their renowned style guide.
The Wild Hunt, a blog by “committed polytheist” Jason Pitzl-Waters, informs:
Survival’s “Stamp It Out” campaign was recently successful in convincing British newspapers The Guardian and The Observer to ban the terms ‘primitive’ and ‘Stone Age’ to describe tribal peoples.
Commenting on Pitzl-Waters’ post, Here In The Cave of Wonder writes:
“Primitive” and “Stone Age” both come from an outdated concept of evolution. There are no living “primitive” life forms or people. Evolut[i]on is merely a means of adapting to one's environment, not a ladder, so there is no way to progress from “primitive” to “advanced”.
[…]
In short, these terms are really just a kind of 19th century ethnocentrism/anthropocentrism that was rejected by scientists and anthropologists many years ago as being a scientifically inaccurate.

author: Simon Maghakyan


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Zimbabwe: Marechera’s Love Sonnets · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Eshuneutics continues with her discussion of Dambudzo Marechera's Love Sonnets. Part 7 of her posts discusses the introduction to Amelia Sonnets, which begins with the statement, “Every act of love is a recapitulation of the whole history of human emotion.” Marechera was Zimbabwean author.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Zimbabwe: On Morgan Tsvangirai New Mercedes Benz · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

This is what Zimbabwean blogger Denford thinks of Morgan Tsvangirai new Mercedes Benz, “These are state vehicles, which means the country is spending money on things like this while it goes begging for handouts outside the country. If I were a donor, I would see no reason to reward such irresponsible spending.”


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A Brazilian journalist in search of Iranian bloggers · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Raul Juste Lores is a Brazilian journalist and Beijing Bureau Chief of Folha de Sao Paulo. He has recently taken a trip to Tehran, where he met and interviewed several Iranian bloggers and civil society personalities such as the Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi.
Why is a chief bureau of a Brazilian newspaper in Beijing  interested in Iranian bloggers?
Actually I cover Asia, but not Middle East. Due to the elections in Israel, a colleague was there and my newspaper wanted someone else to go to Tehran to cover the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. It was a great opportunity and I accepted inmediately.
In any country, bloggers can give you a fresh idea about what the youth is thinking — and in Iran, where 70% of population can be considered pretty young, blogosphere becomes more important.
You have interviewed several bloggers in Iran. What were their social/political background? What were their concerns, hopes and projects?
Most were middle class in Tehran, unfortunately I couldn't travel to the countryside, although I talked to one or two bloggers from other cities by chat. Anyway, they represent an urban, middle class and young generation where the internet is their territory of freedom, or at least the freer one. I've interviewed a conservative blogger as well, it was interesting to realize that religious conservatives are using the same platform.
I wish I had the opportunity to know more about bloggers from other groups. What I've seen is just a small fragment. Most of them really look like young people everywhere in the world: idealistic, full of projects, web-addicts, dreamers. But in Iran they tend to be much more politicized and interested about world news — they created their own way to break the isolation of the country after so many embargos and sanctions.
How do you evaluate the citizen media impact on the Iranian society?
It is a very big impact. In countries where all the media belongs to, or at least, is strongly regulated by the government, blogs can be an important alternative to spread news, to give voice to different sources, to express different points of view and criticisms. Many blogs are more focused about humour, jokes than political and intellectual issues, but it is the same everywhere.
How much of the Iran you discover was similar to the image of Iran you had in your mind?
The tension in the air is very similar to the one I had imagined. To see so many women covered in dark, long chadors… Nature is so full of colors, don't you think? The idea that someone can be put in jail because he/she is doing something pretty normal in the rest of the world. Also, the society is very, very conservative, sexism and the lack of equality of rights between men and women go well beyond the religious laws, even the so-called modern and liberal ones are definitely conservative.
On the other hand, Iranian youth has managed to live as best as it is possible, so somehow they break many laws, they have fought for their space against so many prohibitions. In a word, they are far less accomodated than young people in many other countries. Thay have to fight for things others take for granted.
How do you compare the Iranian blogosphere and the Brazilian and/or Chinese ones?
They have a bigger political role than in Brazil, because in Iran you don't have as many outspoken actors in civil society like in my country (free press, strong NGOs, many political parties, etc). Iranian Blogs can work as good opinion polls, or termometers of what a good portion of Urban Iran is thinking. In this way, they are closer to the Chinese blogosphere, they defy the rhetoric of the official media, they spread news that the governments think they can just block. They are more horizontal, from the bottom of the society to the top. Certainly the leaders in both countries are really aware and pay attention about what is discussed in blogs.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Arrest Warrant For Omar al-Bashir: “Just Talk And Talk…” · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrant Wednesday for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir making him the first sitting head of state to be charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The charges are based on the conflict in Darfur. In this post, we are taking a look at opinions and thoughts of Sudanese bloggers. Some bloggers have taken the “wait and see” approach while some argue that past experiences show that nothing will really happen. “You dance and loudly talk…just talk and talk….,” writes Ras Babi. One blogger notes that Omar al-Bashir will not be forcibly arrested by Western governments and therefore if “he stays home” he will be safe. Another one waits for the “entertainment” to begin.
Mimz asks people living in Sudan to stop panicking because “the most likely scenario in my opinion, nothing happens!” and “Egypt doesn't need any more people crowding it.”
Either the country is turned upside down, or all our problems are dissolved (hiiiiighly unlikely) or, the most likely scenario in my opinion, nothing happens!
So please, Sudanese citizens, those of you living in Sudan… stop panicking! And stop packing your bags! I know so many people who are actually gone by now because they are afraid of what might happen if the warrant is issued. I'm telling you, Egypt doesn't need any more people crowding it!
Nothing is going to happen, and no I am not in denial, I am just thinking of the most reasonable sequence of events. You will not be attacked in your own home, you will not lose all your valuable posessions and you will not find a loved one dead outside your house. Don't be so overdramatic!
Sudanese Thinker starts an open thread to discuss the ICC decision. He finishes his post saying, “Let the entertainment begin”:
Dear fellow Sudanese bloggers, drop a link to your own blog post on the matter in the comments section so that it will get noticed by the media. I’ve got a number of journalists emailing me, and they’re all interested in hearing what we Sudanese bloggers have to say about this.
Everyone else, share your thoughts, if any. This is potentially history in the making. Meanwhile, I’m gonna go find me some pop-corn.
Let the “entertainment” begin!
Sudanese Optimist simply says, “I wonder…why did John Garang have to die?”
Dying In the Dust begins his post wondering if this could be the beginning of the end. The blogger thinks that al-Bashir will be safe “as long as he stays home”:
Could this be the beginning of the end? Today, the International Criminal Court at the Hague issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for a five-year campaign of violence in Darfur. This is the first time a sitting head of state is charged for war crimes under this international tribunal.
It will be very interesting to see how this plays out in the world, in Sudan and especially, in the villages of Darfur. Here are two initial questions I have:
*Will it be enough? It’s only a warrant for an arrest and Sudan is not likely to simply hand over their head of state. No Western government will support going in an forcibly removing Bashir – so as long as he stays home, he is probably safe. However, will the international pressure and bad publicity drive Bashir to reform his ways? I want to say yes for the sake of my friends and their families who are suffering, but history doesn’t support hope in this case.
*Will Darfur get a backlash? How will Bashir and tribes loyal to him respond? I know they will lash out against the ICC and Western “colonial” powers – but I worry that there will also be retaliation against the men, women and children of Darfur in the form of even greater violence and suffering. The UN is already warning its people to be extra careful in the next few days. Can the AU troops protect the millions of refugees?
Ras Babis expresses his thoughts in a poem in which he says that he does not believe in international laws and that “…when it comes to a man like alBashir/you dance and loudly talk/no action/no justice/just talk and talk/for the Sudanese….” He begins his poem quoting al-Bashir telling the ICC to eat his arrest warrant:
Omar alBashir says
ICC can eat his arrest warrant
he smiled and danced
thousands of his supporters with him
he said the warrant does not
worth the ink it was written with
………
Do you remember Sudan…
how your generals with support of al-Turabi
hanged a great master in your land?
Mohmoud Mohamed Taha was a master
Oh Sudan
Oh my beautiful Sudan
thousands of differences are there between
a master and a killer
….
in this world we live in and on of contraditions and injustice
it is easy to judge a simple man
a real hero
or anyone of us
the laws are made to control the masses
and protect the powerful ones
I became a no believer
I do not believe in your international laws
….
who killed Che Guevara?
who killed Lumumba?
and who killed Taha?
it was you international law
that is why
when it comes to a man like alBashir
you dance and loudly talk
no action
no justice
just talk and talk
for the Sudanese….
Kizzie, who wrote his post before the ICC announcement, reveals that Bashir's party is divided over the issue:
Some Sudan “experts” forsee a bigger Sudanese crises, the disintegration of the Sudanese state. Andrew Natsios, former US envoy to Sudan is worried about a Somali-like situation with an Afghanistan-like intervention.
African and Arab leaders are standing together against the ICC's decision. When the arrest warrant is issued, they are going to be very silent. Bashir's party is already divided. Most of his advisors asked him to step down. He wouldn't.
Let's see what's going to happen


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Australia: Reactions to “Cricket Terror” · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Cricket, that shared legacy of British colonialism, has taken centre stage in Australian blogs following the terror attack in Lahore.
Irfan Yusuf at Planet Irf saw it this way:
Pakistan may describe itself as an Islamic republic, but the real religion which unites all Pakistanis is cricket. This is a cricket-mad country. I remember being in Pakistan when an overseas team was touring, and seeing crowded city streets become almost deserted and shops open but with shop keepers having their eyes glued to the TV sets.
During the early 1990's, one Pakistani mufti became a laughing stock after delivering a fatwa that cricket was haraam (forbidden under religious law). His reasons? He claimed people who watched cricket rarely took time out to perform their nemaaz (the worship Muslims are required to perform at five set times a day). And that Pakistani women would get excited by watching Pakistani bowlers like Imran Khan rub the ball in a certain place as he walked back to start his run-up.
Perhaps the shock of the Marriot Hotel blasts in Islamabad shocked people in the middle and upper classes. However, cricket is something Pakistanis of all classes enjoy. Cricket is played in both slums and on the turf pitches of posh Pakistani private schools. Cricketers, be they Pakistani or foreign, are like the revered saints of this secular religion. Umpires (except when they are deemed to have made the wrong decision) are like the high priests.
Presenting others’ claims about the usual suspects, he asks:
Who is responsible? Muslim extremists? Tamil Tigers?
PAKISTAN: Some comments on the recent Lahore blasts …
Andrew Bolt, controversial journalist and blogger for the Herald Sun newspaper in Melbourne, is no friend of what he sees as dangerous lefties:
I think the apologists are running out of excuses. The US, we were told, brought 9-11 on itself through its aggression. We invited Bali on ourselves by siding with the US. India provoked the Mumbai slaughter by discriminating against Muslims. But the Sri Lankans?  How on earth can even the barking mad blame them for this? Now, can we start discussing the role of Islam in political violence, and without the usual shut-ups of “racist!”.
Cricketers shot
Duckpond, a regular political blogger, started with a very popular figure in Australia, the former Pakistan cricket captain turned politician Imran Khan:
Imran Khan, who is close to matters cricket, says the level of security provided to to the Sri Lankan cricket team was scandalous. He is suggesting the Pakistani Government was negligent or incompetent.
He expressed his concern about Pakistan's instability:
It would not be the first time that attack on a soft target has organized to create maximum publicity. Pakistan with its history of military dictatorships, supported by the West, especially the United States, and its fractious ethnic populations, and a nuclear power, is not looking especially stable.
But he sees this attack as part of a failed global policy against terror:
The invasion of Afghanistan over seven years ago was supposed to be a quick fix, like that of Antigua or Panama, but as perhaps was predictable by those knew something about the area has proven to be very destabilizing, if not catastrophic.
CRICKET TEAM ATTACKED
Skepticlawyer,  also referred to Imran Khan but with more negative connotations:
Despite Imran Khan’s repeated assertions that terrorists would never attack cricketers in Pakistan (even though the Taliban frowned on the game), terrorists have fired on the Sri Lankan team’s tour bus in Lahore, killing several local police officers and wounding several of the players, two seriously. Understandably, the Test currently underway has been abandoned, the Sri Lankan players have been airlifted home, and cricket lovers the world over are in utter despair.
Pakistan shits in cricketing nest
This terror attack has taken bushfires off the front pages of Australian  newspapers and the lead stories of the electronic media.
Update:
Jack the Insider, who also blogs for a Murdoch paper, The Australian, has similar concerns about Pakistan's stability:
Elsewhere in Pakistan cities like Lahore, Karachi and the capital, Islamabad, have become war zones where chaos and carnage have become a way of life. The cities have become grid locked as people travel from one military checkpoint to the next and the sound of car bombs exploding reverberates around the cities on an almost daily basis.
Just 10 years ago Australia’s cricket captain, Mark Taylor made 334 not out at Peshawar, Pakistan’s most northern city. Now the city belongs to the Taliban and no Westerner with a scintilla of sanity would consider travelling there.
It should come as no surprise that Pakistan’s national game and the game loved by millions around the world has become entangled in the violence.
The world needs to view this disgraceful act as a call to arms.  The rule of law is on the verge of collapse in Pakistan and there is a real prospect that the nuclear-armed country will lurch into a civil war.
New theatre in war against terrorism
The comments are worth reading for their diverse range of opinions.

author: Kevin Rennie


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Bahrain: Defence Lawyer Dismisses Rape As “Harmless Fun” · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

A court case involving the alleged abduction and gang rape of a woman has caught the attention of some of Bahrain's bloggers, because of the act was dismissed as harmless fun by the female defence lawyer.
The lawyer, Fatima Al Hawaj, said that the three young men accused of the abduction and attack of a Filipina should be acquitted, because young people often commit crimes for “fun”, without criminal intent. Coolred, an American living in Bahrain, is appalled:
I'm wondering if that defense attorney, Fatima alHawaj, would be willing to subject herself to a gang rape and come out of it with the philosophy…”it was all a bit of harmless fun”? And I wonder if she would have said that if the victim had been a fellow Bahraini and not just a low class Filipino that are usually classed as “sexually available” to the Arabs they work for and among?
I also took note of the fact that the “youths” in question were 19, 20, 21…I'm curious as to why MEN of this age are always described as youths in the paper here whenever they commit such heinous crimes? […] Final note…with women defending men like this…women lawyers at that…with the phrase “harmless fun” the perpetuation of the belief that “boys will be boys” will never be cast aside and the action they undertook viewed exactly for what it is…a crime against a woman that has no doubt changed her life and will never be forgotten…but I dare say…if she hadnt been able to identify those 3 “boys” they would have tossed the memory of their night of harmless fun behind them and gotten a good nights sleep in the process.
Maldita, a Filipina based in Bahrain, who blogs at Saving The World Together, is also incensed:
How can gang-raping and robbing a defenseless woman be considered as “HARMLESS FUN”? Fine, they MAY have done it for the lack of better things to do in their free time and they do not have any small intent at all to commit a crime. BUT THAT IS NOT AN EXCUSE to go about grabbing women off the streets to add spice to their lives!
True, young people often do crazy things for fun – a lot try their hand on shoplifting, some engage in road rages, others turn to drugs. The norm is young people try to commit minor misdemeanor that would usually end up with a stern reprimand from their guardians or inflict harm only among themselves. It is the misguided ones who goes for major stuff like this. Stuff that forcefully involves people who are innocently going on with their own lives. […] If these teenagers really did what they are accused of, how sad that a woman's life is now scarred for life with this horror…and yet there is the possibility that her assailants will walk free and not suffer the consequences of their actions.
Don't get me started with screaming racism.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Balut: A Filipino Delicacy · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

Monobloc blogs about the Filipino delicacy balut, “fertilized duck egg with nearly-developed embryo, boiled and devoured straight out of the shell.”

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Bangladesh: The Leaked Audio Files And Some Questions · Global Voices
Rezwan

After the tragic death of army officers in the BDR mutiny incident on 25th of February in Dhaka, Bangladesh,  many are auditing the actions of the government pondering how the damage could be minimized. Unheard Voice discusses about some leaked audio files of a closed meeting between the Prime Minister and the aggrieved army officers and raises some questions.

author: Rezwan


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Barbados: No Confidence?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados Underground reports on the “motion of no-confidence in [the] Prime Minister’s handling of the CLICO Affair”, but is incredulous that the people's business was put on hold while the “Lower House [was] occupied for 45 minutes addressing the matter of the seating arrangement of members of parliament.”


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Belarus, Ireland: “Minsk, Russia” at Dublin Airport · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Andrei Khrapavitski re-posts a photo taken by LJ user barilotti (BEL) at the Dublin Airport: an info poster there lists Minsk, the capital of Belarus, as part of Russia. “How about hanging a map of Europe with Ireland marked as part of the United Kingdom?” comments Khrapavitski.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Blogging Positively: Live Chat about HIV/AIDS on March 6 · Global Voices
Juhie Bhatia

Rising Voices and Global Voices are holding a live online chat for bloggers and activists on Friday March 6, 2009 (5 pm Nairobi time) on how to use blogging to improve awareness and information about HIV/AIDS.
Everyone is welcome.
Local Times: New York 09:00 | Buenos Aires 12:00 | London 14:00 | Johannesburg, Beirut 16:00 | Nairobi, Moscow 17:00 | New Delhi 19:30 | Hong Kong 22:00 | Tokyo 23:00
Chatroom:  http://www.worknets.org/chat/
The March 6th chat will build on topics brought up in last week's successful online discussion. The February 27th chat addressed issues such as why blogging can be important for people affected by HIV/AIDS and the vital roles of mentoring and advocacy, but it mainly focused on the Blogging Positively Guide, a guide being created by Global Voices to provide valuable advice on how to blog about HIV/AIDS issues. The Guide is a work-in-progress, so we are looking for help to create it and/or to give feedback. Those interested in or already blogging about the pandemic are encouraged to participate in this week's chat, particularly those living with and/or affected by HIV/AIDS. Friday's chat will focus on issues such as forming working groups for the Blogging Positively Guide and discussing what chapters and topics to include in it.
If there are other topics that you would like to discuss during the chat, please add comments below. Hope you can join us on March 6!

author: Juhie Bhatia


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China: Industrial Towns in Southern China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

David from Silk Road International depicts the threatening situation in industrial areas outside of Shenzhen due to unemployment.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Youtube blocked · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Aw Guo reported that Youtube is blocked in China. The blogger confirmed the situation with his twitter friends.


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Cuba: Making Changes  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Generation Y says of the recent changes in Cuba's Council of State and Ministers: “Changing the instruments doesn’t mean much, if the symphony being performed, and the director of the orchestra, are the same as before.”


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Czech Republic: Internet Outage · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

CzechFolks.com writes about “a careless but simple mistake” made by “an employee of an Internet service provider company SuproNet in Uhersky Brod,” which “caused an Internet outage mostly in Spain, Belgium, New Zealand, Egypt, China, and the USA.”


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Egypt: Interview with Elhamalawy  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger Mohammed Maree posts a video interview with blogger and activist Hossam Elhamalawy about his work at the Center for Social Studies, including workers’ strikes, industrial action and their connection to developments in Palestine.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Egypt: Now TV Program on Blogging  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger and TV personality Marwa Rakha writes about her new television programme on blogging – Tadweena, which focuses on blogs, bloggers, social networking sites and online forums. Click on the link to watch the first episode of the show [Ar].


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Egyptian bloggers unite in the face of terrorism · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

Eman AbdElRahman wrote about how the Egyptian blogosphere reacted to Al Hussein bombs on February 22 that resulted in the death of a French tourist and the injury of more than 20 people.  Today, I will write about a group of Egyptian bloggers and their initiative to combat terrorism.
Spring wrote on his blog this invitation:
The same group of bloggers created a Facebook group  to spread this message.
Another group of bloggers who name themselves 14 February Movement who put Egypt First started another initiative that took place on March 1. A Flower for Each Tourist aims at showing tourists that they are welcomed in Egypt.
Photos of the event could be found here and the video is here.
Their final word was:

author: Marwa Rakha


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Fiji soldiers show up at murder trial · Global Voices
John Liebhardt

When about 30 uniformed soldiers in Fiji's army — including the Chief of Staff — showed up at a trial where eight servicemen (and one former police officer) have been accused of killing a teenager in 2007, Fiji Today called it “intimidation of court witnesses by [the] Fiji military.”

author: John Liebhardt


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Haiti: Restavec · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

My Life, an Open Book… says that “the constant vie for power makes for a disastrous recipe” when it comes to Haiti's practice of Restavec.


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Honduras: Rio Plátano Biosphere and 7 Wonders of Nature · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The Rio Plátano Biosphere in Honduras recently moved onto the next round of the 7 Wonders of Nature voting in Category E for forests, natural parks and reserves [es] writes Hugo Chinchilla.

author: Eduardo Avila


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How will Fiji repay its debt to China?  · Global Voices
John Liebhardt

With China's loan to Fiji to build low-income housing soon to be approved, Intelligentsiya wonders how the money will be repaid if few people can even afford inexpensive accommodations because of Fiji's sagging economic figures.


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India: Fearless Karnataka · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ultra Violet informs that: “in response to the recent attacks against women in the city of Bangalore, many individuals and organisations have come together to form FEARLESS KARNATAKA or Nirbhaya Karnataka to reclaim public spaces and promote safety for all.”


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Israel: Cold Front Warmly Received  · Global Voices
Maya Norton

The snow and icy rains that chilled Israel this weekend received a warm welcome from its residents. As the rainy season draws to a close, many fear that this year's low rainfall will lead to dangerous summer drought.
Rain at the Western Wall (credited to Flash 90 at the Green Prophet)
Ilana Teitelbaum of the Green Prophet writes:
“Though we thrill to the sound of rain thrumming against the windowpanes, at the same time we mutter tensely, ‘It's not enough. It's not enough.'”
On The Muqata, Litvshe gushes:
Snow in Beit El (credited to Yishai Fleisher)
Finally! Snow has come to Beit-El!!! After months of waiting, Winter has finally shown up.
On Kumah, Yishai Fleisher also posts photos of snow in the Holy Land, including this scene in the hills of Beit El.
Dion Nissenbaum at Checkpoint Jerusalem notes that Israeli supermodel Bar Rafaeli has just been chosen by the Water Authority to educate the public on water conservation. Rafaeli will join other celebrities in an effort to draw the country's attention to the crisis.
Over at What War Zone???, Benji Lovitt, the consummate comedian of the Israeli blogosphere, gets into the act. When political party Kadima's website appeared to be hacked during the elections, Lovitt joked:
Kadima Site Hacked (credited to Benji Lovitt)
What's with the angry armed dude? To be fair, I don't know what he's doing with the gun so I can't call him a terrorist. It could be a water pistol which would REALLY be a crime based on the horrible drought.
In contrast, Matt Beynon Rees, has serious concerns about the geopolitical implications of the impending water shortage. Rees points out that regional water shortages threaten the delicately balanced security of Israel and its neighbors. Having sustained major damage from this winter's Cast Lead Operation, Gaza's sewage system is barely operational. To the North, Syria is entering its fifth year of insufficient rainfall. Both countries are desperately seeking international aid in order to prepare for the long, dry summer ahead. Rees observes:
It’s the latest dramatic chapter in what might be called the real crisis of the Middle East — the chronic water shortage affecting much of the Levant… Academics have been warning for years that a Middle East war could one day be fought over water, rather than land… Maybe deserts just weren’t meant to bloom.
Recommended Reading–

author: Maya Norton


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Israel: Negotiating a Prisoner Exchange for Gilad Shalit · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Three years ago, Palestinian militants captured  Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in a cross-border raid. Despite numerous diplomatic attempts to earn Shalit's release, the 22-year old remains in Hamas custody.
Gilad Shalit (sourced from HaBanim.org)
In exchange for his freedom, Hamas demands the release of 1,400 Palestinians currently held in Israeli jails, among them those who are considered to have “blood on their hands,” directly implicated in Israeli deaths.
Shalit's release, Israel says, is a pre-condition of a future ceasefire. The ceasefire engineered in June 2008 was intended to lead to Shalit's eventual release, but trust was broken when Hamas began bombing southern Israel shortly thereafter.
Over the last 30 years, Israel has traded over 7,000 prisoners to liberate 19 citizens held captive and 8 bodies of the deceased. Exchanges include a 1985 trade where 1,150 prisoners were released for three Israeli soldiers captured in Lebanon. Most recently, the return of the bodies of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, captured in July 2006 shortly after Shalit's kidnapping, were traded for the release of convicted murderer Samir Kuntar, four Hezbollah militants, and the remains of 200 others.
After the 1985 exchange, Yitzhak Rabin, who was at that time Israel's Minister of Defense, stated: “When no military option exists, there is no choice but to enter negotiations and pay a price.”
The Israeli public have demonstrated a heavy emotional investment in Shalit's continued captivity.
Lirun of East Med Sea Peace laments:
We all want him home.. very much so.. this has gone on for too long and israel is traumatised by memories of the ron arad saga… these are awful times..
Captain Ron Arad (sourced from the Jewish Agency For Israel)
Ron Arad is an Israeli military pilot captured in Lebanon in 1986. Israel negotiated his release on diplomatic fronts, and when that failed, sent in agents to rescue him. Nothing succeeded. Arad is suspected to be deceased, but findings have yet to be officially confirmed.
Nafka Mina writes:
It would do good to remind our Arab neighbours and the world about this price whenever someone brings up the “disproportionate” killing of Arabs by Israelis in times of conflict. If the other side is setting a price of 1,000 Arabs for 1 Jew in a prisoner exchange, then they shouldn't complain when, in a war, more Arabs than Jews are killed. If they were to value life as much as we do, then the exchange would be 1 to 1.
He continues:
This is not a hypothetical claim, about future victims of the terrorists being released. During the recent fighting in Gaza, many Israelis were in favour of continuing the operation until Shalit was released, knowing full well that many soldiers will die in the process. Everybody talks about Shalit; nobody talks about the two soldiers in this tank that were killed in the same attack.
And concludes:
I do not understimate the psychological effect of future soldiers and their families knowing that Israel will go to great lengths to ensure the safe return of soldiers it sends to war. But I fear that the counter-effect of succumbing to irrational deal-making outweighs its benefits… I continue to pray for Shalit to return home safely, and soon. But I pray also for the government of Israel to stand strong not only against our enemies but also against domestic pressure, to consider the national interest before other emotional considerations.
A Soldier's Mother comes to a similar conclusion, stating that although Israel yearns for Shalit's release, it must be cognisant of the cost of such a trade. She explains:
Gilad deserves to come home – but releasing murderers is not the way. According to several news sources, our government is seriously considering the release of the following murderers:
* Marwan Barghouti, who was convicted of five murder counts and given multiple life-sentences
* Ibrahim Hamed, the leader of the military wing in the West Bank
* Abdullah Barghouti, who was the mastermind behind the bombings at the Sbarro Pizzeria and Cafe Moment in Jerusalem
* Abbas al-Sayed, mastermind of the Park Hotel massacre on Passover eve 2002 in Netanya
To release these men is to accept that they will murder again and each death will be the result of a deal for Gilad gone wrong. It’s sometimes easy to agree to pay the price today without worrying about tomorrow and who we will bury…
Do not reward murderers or further punish the families of those they murdered. Don’t ask a father who lost a child in Sbarro or the Moment Café if releasing his child’s murderer is a fair trade for Gilad. What can he say? How many more times can his heart bleed?
Articles of Interest from Global Voices Online, Israel–


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Israel: Triumphant Week for Israeli Women · Global Voices
Maya Norton

What a week it was for Israeli women, Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem observes. Tzipi Livni won the elections, singer Hila Pitman landed a Grammy, supermodel Bar Rafaeli was chosen as Sport Illustrated's swimsuit edition cover girl, and a Jewish-Muslim duo were chosen to represent the nation at the Eurovision song contest.


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Jamaica: Self-Esteem  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaican blogger/writer Geoffrey Philp gives kids a valuable lesson in self-esteem.


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Japan: The end of Bloomberg TV in Japanese · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Kawase Madoka (為替 円) expresses surprised [ja] at the halt of Bloomberg Television's Japanese channel starting from the 30th of April. The blogger, who participated several times in seminars organized by Bloomberg, and who used to follow with enthusiasm the morning news, is sorry to learn about the end of the service [ja].

author: Scilla Alecci


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Madagascar: “I feel like in a war movie” · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

The political crisis in Madagascar, unfolding since late January, took yet another turn today with the sound of gun shots and tear gas, as police and protestors clashed all over Antananarivo, the capital city.
Since the first meeting between President Marc Ravalomanana and Andry Rajoelina more than a week ago, hopes for a swift resolution are fading as disagreements over the terms of the negotiations have led to a call for a national strike of undetermined length.
Riot police patrol Antananarivo (photo courtesy of Avylavitra)
XinHua and Gabonews report that on March 2nd, the day following the call for a strike, only a small, timid minority (fr) participated. However, opposition was excepted to take a harder stance following the collapse of the negotiations, as Courrier International explains (fr).
Malagasy website Topmada reports that in his public speech at 9 am on March 3rd, Rajoelina asked his supporters to take note of the companies that did not follow his call for strike (fr):
Rajoelina said:
“On connaîtra à partir de demain (mercredi) les sociétés et entreprises qui roulent pour  Ravalomanana”
On March 3rd, Radio Antsiva, one of the few national radio stations, annouced that it would stop broadcasting for at least 24 hours, stirring fears of new violence.  The following day, bloggers also reported that the national public radio (RNM) went silent for a few hours. Many bloggers also reported a massive military presence in Downtown Antananarivo.
The violence on March 4th  spread out throughout the city, so bloggers reported the unrest on Twitter and Facebook as events unfolded  in their respective neighborhoods. Corroborating reports were then matched up  on the Ushahidi mash-up map for Madagascar for verification. Below are the reports for March 4th in Antananarivo:
Ushahidi reports in Madagascar (March 4th)
Some of the comments on the Malagasy blogosphere/twittersphere were quite telling of the extent of the unrest.
Thierry Ratsizehena wrote via Facebook Mobile (fr):
j'ai un mal de tete horrible apres avoir inhale une partie de la fumee des grenades lacrymogenes en milieu de journee
Andry Rarivoson adds (fr):
ils ont voulu balancer une voiture sur les militaires. en ce moment, les gens sont en train de prendre les pieces de la voiture abandonnée
Re_hita tweets and took photos of the unrest in Behoririka, district of Antananarivo (fr):
pas moyen de rentrer à la maison behoririka est un champ de bataille
He adds (mg):
nisy mpianatra nendahana ka niboridana tanteraka tao ceg antanimena s/radio don bosco
Tahina was in Ampefiloha, another district, when he posted:
Gun shots heard at ampefiloha but I don’t know where they come from
Arinaiana posted early in the morning what many felt by the end of the day:
I feel like in a war movie. I can't believe it's real. I am damn terrified.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Mexico: Two Musicians Selected for YouTube Symphony Orchestra · Global Voices
Issa Villarreal

The YouTube Symphony Orchestra is a collaborative project using social media through the use of auditions through YouTube videos, and filtered by a jury of musicians and other YouTube users. Recently it selected the members of the symphony who will play the musical piece composed specially for the project by Tan Dun, a Chinese composer, who also composed the score of movies such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero, and who is also the author of the Internet Symphony No. 1 “Eroica” to be interpreted by 90 musicians from different countries, both professionals and amateurs, in Carnegie Hall of New York.
Two Mexican musicians have been selected for the international orchestra as mentioned by the blog Vivir México [es]. One of them is violinist Manuel Zogbi, from the northern city of Saltillo. According to magazine El Mañana [es], to play in the Carnegie Hall is one of his dreams as a musician:
…desde que tenía como 10 años siempre dije: sabes qué, cuando sea grande quiero tocar en el Carnegie Hall. Con el tiempo esos sueños se esfumaron, y ahora como que me cae el veinte de que, ¡ah caray!, los sueños pueden regresar y materializarse.
To celebrate his selection, Zogbi will soon participate in a concert in Monterrey, the city where he now lives.
Very little is known about the identity of the other musician selected. His YouTube username is Intisamente, and according to magazine El Mañana [es], he is from Veracruz.
However, the lack of details about the viola player has not been an obstacle for other Mexican users to be in contact and to congratulate him through the YouTube service. User SAME860331 comments on his channel [es]:
Que grata sorpresa me encuentro en el periodico cuando leo que un par de mexicanos seran parte de la Orquesta Sinfónica de YouTube!!!!! Mi primera reaccion fue de alegria pero ya que el internet puede conectarnos no importando donde estemos pues, que mejor que felicitarte.
Alongside the Mexicans, two musicians from Brazil and one from Colombia will participate in the YouTube Symphony Orchestra.

author: Issa Villarreal


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Morocco: Moroccan-American Author Releases First Novel · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Over the past few years since her first book, a collection of intertwined short stories entitled Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, was released, Laila Lalami has emerged as one of Morocco's best known authors.  As few Moroccan writers’ work is translated into English, and even fewer female writers’, Lalami's books – penned in English – fill a gap in the connection between Moroccan literature and the west.
Lalami is also a blogger who is often quoted by Global Voices.  In a recent post, she expressed excitement at the release of her new book, Secret Son, and shared an image of its cover:
As the publishing date for Secret Son comes closer, I find myself struggling to keep up with everything that is happening in the background: tour events, promotional trailer, advance reviews, foreign editions, and so on. Here, for instance, is the final cover for the novel, with bigger fonts and a more streamlined look:
the a la menthe, an American blogger whose primary blog focus is Morocco, also noted the release of Lalami's book and shared this book trailer:
The book will be available on April 21, 2009.

author: Jillian C. York


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Myanmar envoy: Rohingyas “are as ugly as ogres” · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

beyond skin mentions some of the hilarious and racist statements issued by the Thai and Myanmar governments about the status of the Rohingya refugees. For instance, a Myanmar envoy described the Rohingyas as “ugly as ogres.”

author: Mong Palatino


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Pakistan: The Blame Game.. Again.. · Global Voices
Rezwan

Teath Maestro describes the blame game after the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan: “Right now, collectively, (media, bloggers, political parties and government) all search for escape goats elsewhere – primarily the focus of their diatribes (not in any order) is the US Administration, the Talibans, the Indians (Raw…if you hear Hamid Gul croaking after the CID report was released) and the euphemistically termed Agencies.”


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Poland: The Krakow Balloon · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Polandian writes about “a giant white balloon” that appeared last summer in Krakow: “A faction of cracovians were convinced it was something to do with anti-missile defence radar or some such NATO voodoo, others thought it sure to be some tyrannical new Gazprom installation. […] The truth is, as ever, far stranger even than Polish fiction. The Krakow balloon is just that – a giant tethered balloon intended to carry fee-paying passengers 500 meters above the city and then return them safely to Earth.”


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Russia: Nashi vs Yabloko · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog writes about “a prank” that Nashi played on Yabloko.


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Serbia: “Bus Kontrol!” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Radovan Jelani of Belgrade Journals writes about ticket “controllers” on Belgrade's public transportation.


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Slovenia: 100 Days of Pahor’s Government · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sleeping With Pengovsky writes about the first 100 days of Borut Pahor’s government.


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Slovenia: “The Erased” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Dr. Filomena writes in detail about the case of Slovenia's “erased” population.


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Sri Lanka: Let Us Not Speculate · Global Voices
Rezwan

J. Krishnamurti at Going Global refutes all the speculations regarding the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team: “I'm trying to tell you folks to calm down a bit and don't be so quick to judge. The attacks could have been carried out by anyone for any conceivable reason. Pakistan has been the target and location of many meaningless attacks over the past few years.”


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Attack in Pakistan  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Blogging from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Abeni is horrified by the news of the attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers, saying: “The cricketing terrorism that I know is usually some team inflicting blows on another. Then the weapons of choice are usually a red shiny ball and a wooden bat.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados: Carnival 2009 · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Living in Barbados, Alien in the Caribbean and Discover TnT Blog all post their impressions of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival 2009.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Farewell, Tito · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

de cooler : soca news acknowledges the passing of “the famous cuatro player and parang singer Tito Lara” from Trinidad and Tobago.


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Ukraine: Çelebicihan’s Death Anniversary · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Window on Eurasia writes about the 91st anniversary of the murder of Numan Çelebicihan, a Crimean Tatar leader – and the recent assault of a Crimean Tatar family by Ukrainian riot police.


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Ukraine: Deposit Exchange · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

IZO writes about Deposit Exchange, a crisis-related new venture launched in Ukraine: “It enables people whose bank deposits have been frozen in banks of questionable solvency to sell the money in those deposits at a discount. The buyers of the frozen deposits, although they cannot withdraw the money, can use the full value of the deposits to cover the value of loans issued by the banks for home, car and land purchases on which customers have defaulted, and thereby take possession of the repossessed property. Currently the discounts on buying a frozen deposit are in the range 10-34%.”


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Ukraine: Imaginary “Tweets” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Michelle Knisley of Greetings From Kyiv imagines herself “twittering” her daily routine in Ukraine's capital: “[…] 9:09: Just missed getting run over by a car on the sidewalk 9:15: Ice fell from the building but it missed me […]”


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Ukraine: “Is it Ill-Bred to Have Fun in Museums?” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Thoughts on the Ukrainian approach to museum-going – at The Uncataloged Museum: “When I was asked by a reporter how museums were different, I mentioned the fact that in the US, and in many Western European countries as well, that museum-going was thought of as a fun activity. […] The reporter gave me quite a stern look and said, ‘perhaps we Ukrainians are too well-bred for that’.”


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Arab World: Birthday Food for Thought · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Several bloggers from across the Arab World are marking their birthdays online with philosophical posts, describing their lives, hopes, accomplishments and dreams.
Syrian Abu Fares contemplates on the meaning of life as he marks his birthday. He writes:
It’s my birthday. I can’t claim to be at the halfway point anymore.
Considering how I lived my life so far, how I’m living it right now and how I plan to live the rest of it, I have serious doubts that I’ll make it to 98. If you’re searching for regrets between the lines you won’t find any. You won’t descry any deep sense of contentment either. I’ve missed numerous chances and grabbed a few improbable ones out of the blue. I’ve stumbled and stood up, many times. I’ve loved and failed, yet I’m in love again, forever.
Jordanian Ali Dahmash, who has turned 36, discusses what happened to him during the previous year and adds:
The key word for last year events and what is yet to come, is Change. Change is good. And in these times we live in, change is always continuous. Everything around me keeps changing. The economy, the people, the technology and the way we communicate. My hair color is changing, my vision is changing but this is all part of the cycle of life. I’m hopeful that the coming year will bring good changes in a time I need it the most, because this is the time of the year that I commemorate my 36th year on this planet.
Meanwhile, in Bahrain, Maha Al Yousif  will be celebrating her birthday with friends in nearby Kuwait. She writes:
Happy Birthday ME ;-)
I will be celebrating this weekend in Kuwait with 2 of my best friends
And Jordanian 7aki Fadi, who lives in Canada, notes how she forgot to mark her birthday on her blog and adds:
I am 33 years old. YIKES! How did the years fly like that people??? Like, seriously, I don’t understand how I am 33. And I hate odd numbers , they are kind of creepy don’t you think?


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Barbados: Shaping the Economy  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados Underground says that despite his availability to the media, “the big void appears to be the incoherent vision of Prime Minister Thompson on how he plans to reposition the Barbados economy for the future.”


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Bhutan: Weather Dependent Harvest · Global Voices
Rezwan

Tshering Tobgay describes how dependent the Bhutanese farmers are on the weather to get a good or bad harvest.


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China: Complicated Internet Culture · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ethan sums up Rebecca Mackinnon's presentation on the Chinese internet, deliberative government and internet filtering at the Berkman Center


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China: Lei Feng Heritage · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Joel Martinsen from DANWEI blogs about CPPCC member Liu Jianglong's suggestion to the government to apply for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status for the “Lei Feng Spirit.” （雷鋒精神）


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Cuba: Las Damas Targeted · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“This month…is the sixth anniversary of the ‘black spring’ crackdown during which the Group of 75 human rights and democracy activists, journalists…and other dissidents were arrested and sentenced to lengthy prison terms”: Cuban diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense thinks “it is one of the better moments on the calendar to remind the world of the evil of the Castro dictatorship.”


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Guyana, Bahamas: CLICO Records · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Signifyin’ Guyana says of the CLICO situation: “I see the possibility for the Govt. of Guyana to ease out of the promise to cover all.”


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India: Responding To The Attacks On Pakistan · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sandeep Bansal at Desicritics discusses how should India respond to the terrorist attacks on Pakistan and thinks that “it is in India's own interest to take the lead and ensure stability in the region”.


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Israel: Jerusalem Suffers Third Bulldozer Attack This Year · Global Voices
Maya Norton

The first time it seemed like a freak attack: an anomaly separate from time and place. The second, it was a nightmare. Now it has happened again.
Israeli news reported today what appears to be the third terrorist attack with a bulldozer in the last eight months. Driver Mir'i Radeideh rammed a bulldozer into a bus and police car on the corner of Menachem Begin Boulevard and Golomb Street in Jerusalem. Sources at the Jerusalem Post say:
Witnesses described a harrowing sight of the towering yellow front loader speeding along the highway, dragging the police car, flipping it into the air and trying to crush it with its front shovel.
A video of security camera footage and a slideshow of the scene are available on the site.
Two police were “lightly wounded” and several witnesses, including many children, were taken to the hospital to be treated for shock. The driver was shot to death.
Radeideh, 26, was the married father of a young girl. The owner of the bulldozer, he was a resident of Beit-Hanina in East Jerusalem and the bearer of a Palestinian passport. His family, who was questioned immediately thereafter, claimed that Radeideh was a religious man with little interest in the politics of terror. His mother told Israeli television:
We are waiting for him to return home… He is only interested in religion, he doesn't know what terror attacks are, they don't interest him.
Another family member called Radeideh “a normal person who did not hold extremist views.”
July 2008 saw the first two bulldozer attacks, resulting in a total of three people dead and 48 injured. Both bulldozer drivers were residents of East Jerusalem.
As this news  is just breaking, the Israeli blogosphere has only begun to respond. In a post entitled “Through Kefiyah Colored Glasses,” Treppenwitz's David Bogner cites the BBC's headline “Digger Driver Shot Dead In Jerusalem” and writes:
Memo to UK Jews:  What the hell are you waiting for?  Get out while you still can!
Jameel at The Muqata points out similarities in how all three attacks ended.
This is tractor attack #3 in Jerusalem in the past year, plus a car ramming attack near Jaffa street and the Merkaz Harav terror attack [see link below]. In all of the above cases, civilians actively took part in neutralizing the terrorist.
Yael of Aliyah! Step-By-Step is following the story as it is reported. She relays that the bulldozer driver was foiled by a fallen electrical pole, which impeded his progress. His demise was apparently at the hand of a civilian cab driver, who fired the first shots to slow him down. (News reports still differ on this detail; more information will come to light shortly.)
Yael writes:
Listening to the radio every five seconds the details of the terrorist attack that took place an hour ago in Jerusalem changed… The tractor attempted to try to flip the bus which was not empty but rather filled will little girls in Purim costumes [see link below] on their way to cheer up patients at the Hadassah Hospital for the holiday.
Fortunately for the children, a fallen electrical post prevented the tractor from flipping over the bus. The electrical post being in the way gave the schoolgirls time to get out of the bus to safety. ZAKA operation commander Haim Weinrot said that “the girls were hysterical. They saw the enormous scoop heading toward them and saw death approaching, but they were saved at the last minute by the post.” Several of the children were treated for shock at the scene.
In response to this third attack, police are studying the records of all bulldozer drivers and owners within Jerusalem's environs. “This is not the kind of attack we can anticipate to thwart in advance,”  said one.
Related Articles (useful for background and contextual information)–


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Jamaica: Double Standard  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As the Jamaican Prime Minister reasserts his vow not to yield to pressure from lobby groups “to ‘liberalize'…unjust laws which overly scrutinize and punish some men for engaging in consensual sexual practices with each other”, Long Bench maintains that his position is an “irresponsible double standard.”


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Jamaica: To Market! · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Transition Sunshine pays a visit to Jamaica's Coronation Market.


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Jordan: Photo of the Moment · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian blogger Naseem Tarawnah posts a Reuters photograph showing a Palestinian man sitting near the Jaffa Gata in Jerusalem's Old City and notes: “If this picture doesn’t personify the Palestinian experience, I don’t know what does.”


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Kenya: Video game teaches youth to avoid AIDS · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Pamoja Mtaani (Together in the Hood) is a video game that teaches Kenyan youth how to avoid contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Maldives: Is Democracy The Best Option? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Abdullah Waheed raises some issues and questions whether democracy is the best choice for Maldives.


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Mexico: Stopping Video Game Piracy · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The company Nintendo recently requested help in cracking down on piracy of video games in countries like Mexico.  Tome Chango Su Banana explains that piracy won't stop “unless they lower their prices” and compares prices of the console and games in his country and the United States.


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Myanmar: Blasts Hit Yangon · Global Voices
tan

The Ayeyarwaddy reported that there had been two bomb explosions in Yangon, Myanmar on Tuesday night. Luckily, no one was injured.

author: tan


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Nepal: Soldiers Mutiny A Concern · Global Voices
Rezwan

Lilu Thapa at United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal thinks that the mutiny of paramilitary soldiers in Bangladesh “should cause a serious concern to the policy makers and the senior officers of the uniformed forces in Nepal as well.”

author: Rezwan


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Nigeria: Nigerian Wants to Join Italian Parliament · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Read all about Christian Okpara, the Nigerian who wants to join Italian Parliament.


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Pakistan: Sufi Shrine Attacked · Global Voices
Rezwan

Talibans have blown up a Sufi shrine in Peshawar. Let us build Pakistan explains why they attack the shrines. Hasan Mubarak at Lahore Metblogs questions whether Sufism can be the savior from the current situation.


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Palestine: Clinton’s Visit · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Kalash discusses US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's comments on Gaza and Hamas during her visit to the Middle East in this post.


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Paraguay: “A Pencil for Me” Campaign for School Supplies · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

El Yacare [es] writes about a campaign called “A Pencil for Me” in Mbya indigenous communities in Paraguay to help provide children with school supplies.


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Syria: Architectural Gems · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Hidden Cities, from Syria, uncovers photographs of architectural gems from yesteryear in this post.


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Trinidad & Tobago: What’s your Policy? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Can the Government appointed Board inspire customer confidence? Will Clico be run like the hospitals or the Ministry of Works? Can Agents promise it won’t?”: Blogging from Trinidad and Tobago, This Beach Called Life wants to know if you would buy a CLICO insurance policy.


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Uruguay: Festival to Learn About Winemaking Process · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

On March 7, Los Caminos del Vino is organizing a Grape Harvest Festival in Uruguay where wine enthusiasts can learn about the entire winemaking process from the “vineyard to the glass” writes D Todo 1 Poco [es].


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Venezuela: New Stadium in Libya to be Named After Chavez · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The newest football stadium in Benghazi, Libya is being named after Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez writes Venezuela News and Views.


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Africa: Using New Media To Fight For Essential Medicines · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Stop Stock-Outs is a campaign that intends to use new media to fight for essential medicines in Africa. The campaign has just launched a multimedia website.


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Albania: Ponzi Scheme Experience · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A Nevada Yankee in King Zog's Court links to Steve Sailer's post about Albania's experience with Ponzi schemes: “[…] an interesting look back at what happened here and how the Western Capitalist World “tut-tutted” at the naivete of Albanians. Who's laughing now?”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Armenia-Azerbaijan: Artush and Zaur · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

After the publication of a controversial new novel in Azerbaijan, Blogian posts an interview with its author while Unzipped: Gay Armenia says that a book discussion will be held in Baku on 11 March. Artush and Zaur, the story of  the homosexual love affair between an Armenian and Azerbaijani in the context of the Nagorno Karabakh war by Alekper Aliyev, has already sparked much controversy with Unzipped: Gay Armenia reporting that some homophobic news outlets are responding to its publication by saying there are no gays in Armenia. The same site also notes that Aliyev has now started his own blog.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Barbados: Foolish Games?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Rihanna/Chris Brown reconciliation rumours are leaving “a really bad taste” in the mouths of Barbadian bloggers.


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Barbados: Tourists Attacked  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As news breaks of Canadian tourists being attacked on a popular beach, Barbados Free Press says: “Bajans are sorry this happened…we want to see those preventative measures taken for the safety of all who visit and who live in our country.”


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Brunei: Largest serving of grilled satay · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Last Monday, Brunei Darussalam reached a new milestone for creating the “largest serving of grilled satay in the world”. Just imagine 75,000 sticks of chicken satay being simultaneously grilled from one end to another end (over 200 metres).


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Bulgaria: GDP Growth · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Veni Markovski reports on Bulgaria's GDP growth in 2008.


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China: Blog credibility · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Uln from Chinayouren discusses about the credibility issue in Chinablogs – blogs about China in English.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Costa Rica: Calderón Corruption Trial May Derail Presidential Aspirations · Global Voices
Roy Rojas

In 2004, documents were made public [es] indicating that a company of former Costa Rican president Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier had received $440,500 from the Fischel Corporation. This amount corresponded to a commission of $8 million dollars paid from the extension of a credit from the Government of Finland for $39.5 million for the modernization of the Costa Rican Social Security Entity (CCSS for its initials in Spanish).  Due to the investigation that found ex-president Calderón involved, as well as the businessman Walter Reiche Fischel and ex-executive president of CCSS Eliseo Vargas involved, Calderón was arrested and sent to prison.  He spent nearly one year in jail before being released and is now on trial for these corruption charges.
It is believed that the Costa Rican government overpaid 28-80% above the cost of the medical equipment from the Finnish consortium.  Now many Costa Ricans are asking where is that money?
The blog Periodismo Informativo [es] writes:
El Ministerio Público acusa a los imputados como los supuestos artífices de un plan fraudulento, con el fin de impulsar un crédito del gobierno de Finlandia para la compra de equipo médico para la CCSS. Los acusados supuestamente habrían obtenido la suma total de $9.163.821 en “comisiones ilegales”.
The Public Ministry accuses the suspects of being the architects of the fraudulent plan with the aim of impulsing a credit from the government of Finland for the purchase of medical equipment for the CCSS. The accused allegedly obtained a total of $9,163,821 in “illegal commissions.”
For many, this amount is exorbitant especially for a country like Costa Rica where there are many limitations on the funds available for public investment.  Many Costa Ricans like El Burro de Licha [es] are anxiously awaiting the completion of the trial even though they know that the money is long gone:
Esperamos que se demuestre indudablemente su inocencia o culpabilidad, si sale inocente, que no quede la menor duda y no sea porque los ellos lograron desestimar la causa
We hope that (the trial) undoubtedly shows his innocence or his guilt, and if he is found innocent, let there be no doubt and not because they were able to reduce the cause
Calderón is not hiding his interest to become elected president once again and has been making visits throughout the country looking for votes. He is also trying to raise the profile of his political party the Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC for its initials in Spanish). Something that Marco Blanco of  ¡Que Clío nos guarde! [es] has also been noticing, although he notes that even Calderón himself may not see his own chances as realistic:
De cara hacia las elecciones 2010, el PUSC intenta reagruparse alrededor de su líder histórico, el expresidente Calderón (…) quien incluso reconoce querer aspirar a una doble postulación (claro signo de debilidad, ¡nadie que esté seguro de tener posibilidad real de ganar la presidencia se postula al mismo tiempo para diputado!)
Looking forward to the 2010 elections, the PUSC is attempting to regroup around its historic leader, ex-president Calderón (…) and he also aspires to a double candidature (clear sign of weakness, no one who is sure of a real possibility of winning the presidency would also be a candidate for Congressman at the same time!)
The trial appears to be moving at a very slow pace, and some speculate that this is the case because of political pressure.  If the trial would have been completed, a presidential campaign would be much less likely.  However, there still is a chance that Calderón will run, but potential voters like Conejitos Suicidas [es] won't consider Calderón as a viable candidate:
Yo nunca votaría nuevamente por Calderón, es más, me parece algo descarado de su parte afirmar que piensa relanzarse, no pienso en darle mi voto y mucho menos apoyar alguna de sus acciones políticas.
Pero si creo, al igual que muchos, en los juicios justos. En la justicia verdadera y no la justicia a martillazos, como la de las dictaduras. Creo que todos tenemos el derecho a ser juzgado de forma correcta y no pensar que por solo el hecho de ser político lo hace un corrupto despreciable digno de cárcel.
I would never vote for Calderón again, in addition, I think he is shameless, when he expresses his desire to run again, I won't give him my vote and even less, support one of his political actions.
I do believe, like many others, in fair trials. In true justice and not in hammered justice like in the dictatorships. We all have the right to be justly tried and not in the manner that just because one is a politician then one is despicably corrupt worthy for prison.

author: Roy Rojas


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Egypt: Most Religious Country in World, Poll Says · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Egypt is the most religious country in the world according to a new Gallup survey that asks respondents to answer “yes” or “no” to the question “Is religion an important part of your life?” Mo-ha-med of The Traveller Within responds.


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Egyptian -and Muslim- Girls between a Rock and a Hard Place · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

Egyptian women are trapped between who they are and who they are expected to be; they are required to live up to the expectations of their parents, families, colleagues, and later on, their husbands and children. In their attempt to meet those expectations, some of them feel that they lose touch with who they really are and the great things they can really do.
Scene and Heard asked Egyptian men why they prefer to get married to Non-Egyptian/Arab women:
One of our guy writers who's an Egyptian born and raised abroad and still living abroad said that while he tried dating an Arab girl, he found it was just too complicated. “They're just too feisty…I need someone cool, calm and collected”. He also stated that with his Egyptian girlfriend, he always had to worry about drama and jealousy…but with a foreign girlfriend, he said “she's so easy going and not menafsena (spiteful)”
The issue of faking the good girl image came up and
Another guy said, “the girls have just become so say3een (loose) in Egypt and while foreign girls can be say3een (loose), they don't know any different…but OUR girls do, they were raised to know better. Plus they just over do everything, even the seya3a (liberal image)! and then they act all innocent and mo7tarameen (decent)”
Culture and traditions are also a turn off
Another one said, “There's just less pressure. We don't have to worry about her father or brother getting upset that we haven't proposed yet or that if we kiss her in public that her aunt's neighbor's daughter's schoolmate might see us and report back to the family.”
The rest of the post discusses the issue further.
The multi-cultural Muslimah's post titled Strike Two, You’re Out? discusses the number of times a girl could break off an engagement or a marriage!
For those of us who were western-born (or raised) this is absolutely not an issue, painful and heartbreaking yes, but nothing that would induce us to raise any eyebrows. I mean heck, who doesn’t know someone who is triply or even quadruply divorced? That's when things get a little hairy, you know what I mean.
But in Egypt its a completely different story: two strikes and you’re out. Especially when it comes to women, upon whom the blame is laid in even the most sexist of situations. Hell, if your husband goes out and gets a second wife its YOUR fault because you didn’t give him enough sex/dress up enough/watch his favorite TV shows/insert some other really inane and bullshit reason here.
I could rant, oh could I rant, on how women get the short end of the stick in pretty much every situation here but I will restrain myself to the topic at hand.
Do you see how twisted the thinking is? Can any of us imagine this? I mean engagement is the closest thing practicing Muslims get to dating. What if we were stigmatized after our second boyfriend/girlfriend? Men get off a little bit easier, but it is noted when a man is a serial engager, if only by the girl he wants to get engaged to next.
After narrating the details of her two Egyptian friends, she concludes:
Even in baseball you at least get three tries.
Ethar El Katatney is more concerned with the image of the Muslim female; in her critique of the Moroccan movie  Amours Voilee she wrote:
There’s a new Moroccan movie out that, on the surface, seems to tackle the issue of pre-marital sex in the country. They’re a dime a dozen these days, but this one is stirring up controversy like crazy. Why?
I’ll give you a hint: The name of the movie is Amours Voilées,  Hijab al-hob, which translates as Veiled Love in French, and The Veil of Love in Arabic.
Ta da! Once more, we have proved what is now fact: plug in the world ‘veil’ to anything, and you will immediately gain an audience
She also added links to the trailer and the songs
Here’s the teaser, the trailer, and a video clip of one of the movie’s songs. (The latter gives you the best impression of the movie, trailers not so much).
Ethar clearly states that
It would be silly to say that this movie is about the role the veil plays in Moroccan society. True, the veil plays a role in the movie, but the story is more about the conflict Moroccan—and by extension Arab—women face in the world they live in today. It’s the struggle these women face in reconciling the principles they’ve been brought up to cherish with their subsequent behavior, and in a greater sense how they deal with the discrepancies between what their culture dictates versus their religion.
Sobia and Krista urge the media to cut Muslim women some slack when writing about them:
Rule #1: Don’t assume that Muslim women need to be saved, or that you know how to save them.
Rule #2:Rather than assuming you know what Muslim women’s lives are like, try asking them.
Rule #3: Be careful of who you talk to regarding Islam and/or Muslim women.
Rule #4: Understand that Muslims are just like anyone else in terms of their belief systems. Not everything a Muslim does has to do with Islam.
Rule #5: Understand that there is no such thing as a “Muslim culture.” Muslims come from a variety of cultures, and culture is dynamic – it’s constantly changing.
Rule #6: Don’t create a dichotomy between “Muslim” and “Canadian” (or “American,” “British,” etc.), or between “Muslim” and “Western.”
Rule #7: Tone it down! Be mindful of the language you use.
Rule #8: Take responsibility for the consequences of your writing.
Rule #9: Leave the headscarf alone.
To make the space between the rock and the hard place tighter, Wandering Scarab shed light on another aspect of the Arab culture:
Victims of sexual crimes are often shunned by their male family members. Many are told that it is “their fault for being in the wrong place at the wrong time” or “that they brought it on themselves by wearing inappropriate attire”.
The outcasts of the Egyptian society – the spinsters - are raising their voices in an attempt to change how society views them while men demand absolute virginity (AV); Fantasia wrote:
In a society like ours, a mere virgin just isn't good enough.. every man's quest while mating is to find the absolute virgin. Well, I'd better clarify what that means.
An AV is a never-been-touched, never-been-in-love, never-had-a-relationship, kind of girl. This is different from the simple “virgin”.. Coz it is taken for granted that the girl must be a virgin in the biological sense! She has to bleed on her wedding night. That is out of question. The absolute virgin goes beyond her hymn.. Her husband has to be the first man in her life. It is even better if she told him he was her prince charming.. and she would really do the perfect job if she was able to convince him that his ghost used to visit her in her dreams.. a very common proto-image inspired by some Egyptian movie classics. Let's say our guy (thinks he has) succeeded in his mission, and he was able to find his half human, half angel AV. Is the nightmare finally over? Hehehe.. you wish!

author: Marwa Rakha


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Georgia: LGBT Blogosphere · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Following the emergence of many Armenian LGBT blogs, Unzipped: Gay Armenia says that there is now a similar growth of such blogs in Georgia.


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Guinea-Bissau: Mixed feelings after double killing · Global Voices
Paula Góes

The speaker of Guinea-Bissau's parliament, Raimundo Pereira, has been sworn in as interim leader after an attack on Monday killed the President Joao Bernardo Vieira, hours after the killing of the army chief Batista Tagme Na Waie. The interim president has two months to organise a new presidential election, in line with the country's constitution. As the army has withdrawn from the streets, bloggers have reported that life in the city has begun to return to normal in the less than 24 hours after the murders, but there is still uncertainty about both what has happened and the immediate future.
The situation might have calmed down since Monday, but many people remain very scared, fearing the return of war. A Portuguese teacher living in Guinea-Bissau, Ana Cláudia [pt] reports on a conversation with her best friend the day after the assassination:
Foi a olhar para ela e a ouvir as explicações dela que “acordei” do estado de ignorância ou inconsciência em que estava até então. Veio carregar o telemóvel. Depois com olhos de quem tinha estado a chorar e com voz de assustada contou: “Não dormi. Toda a noite muitos tiros. (…) Os meninos ficaram em casa. (…) Sim, vou voltar para casa depois de carregar o telemóvel, vou ficar com os meninos. (…) Ninguém dormiu nada. Todas as pessoas estão muito assustadas. Algumas pessoas já começaram a fugir.”
A fugir? Então atingiu-me. As pessoas estavam com medo.
Ainda na 5ª feira passada, à tarde, ouvi guineenses louvar e chamar com alegria pelo Presidente Nino / General Cabi que passava na Avenida 14 de Novembro ao regressar ao país após duas semanas de ausência, e por isso muitos guineenses choram a sua morte e estão muito tristes, mas mais do que isso esta madrugada o povo guineense assustou-se, reviveu os momentos de terror da guerra que acabou há menos de 10 anos.
HPC [pt], another Portuguese lady living in Guinea-Bissau, confirms this general mixed feeling of fear, hope and tiredness. She says she notices how sad people are, but believes that only people from Guinea-Bissau can “carry on with the same smile” in such a situation. She felt like taking some pictures, but the police would not allow it:
Houve medo nos bairros de Bissau. Lá está-se vulnerável pois não há grossas paredes para proteger nem que seja do estrondo das bombas. Está-se rente ao chão … à mercê.
Para além do medo há vergonha. Vergonha de terem um país que só é notícia pelas piores razões (como se diz em linguagem de noticiário). Um país onde se matam os dirigentes políticos e onde nunca se sabe quem o fez. E não há nada mais triste do que ver os guineenses com vergonha.
Quanto aos acontecimentos, depois de uma segunda-feira de reclusão, hoje fui tentar trabalhar e tive que fugir para casa porque havia confusão no Bandim. Primeiro constou que sem tiros, logo a seguir já os havia. Vim por atalhos porque a polícia tinha cortado o trânsito na Chapa. Passei por bairros e pensei “Tenho que fotografar isto para o blog” e senti-me culpada por esse olhar de repórter de meia-tigela.
Ana e Simão [pt] reported the city was calmer on the 3rd of March:
As estradas de entrada e saída da cidade reabriram, sem militares nos controlos. O comércio voltou a funcionar. Mas tudo é imprevisível. A pessoas revelam uma alegria e alívio contidos (morreu um homem sanguinário, responsável em grande parte pela situação a que o país chegou). Contêm também a tensão e a expectativa, foi aparentemente um bom acontecimento, mas a Guiné sempre foi imprevisível. Volta-se a tentar fazer a vida normal, volta-se a ter esperança:
-“É agora que o país levanta – (onde é que já ouvi isto?). Que Nino descanse em paz e nos deixe descansar.”
And blogged again on the 5th, this time on people's expectations for the upcoming elections:
É impossível sabermos a curto prazo – e provavelmente a longo prazo – pormenores sobre os assassinatos. O que sabemos é que os funerais estão marcados para sábado (Tagme Na Waye) e 3ª feira (Nino Vieira). Sabemos que se vão marcar eleições ainda este ano e sabemos que Kumba Yalá se vai candidatar e com certeza proporcionar campanhas animadas. Sabemos que a melhor alternativa é o Dr. Henrique Rosa, mas tem pouca aceitação fora de Bissau.
One of the most vocal bloggers during this conflict, António Aly Silva [pt] has published some pictures with strong content showing the scene where the president was assassinated. He says he wished his blog had gained attention for less sadder reasons, and this was not the first time:
Desde o fim da guerra de 1998/99, já assistimos a quantos assassinatos na Guiné-Bissau? Antes mesmo dessa guerra, quantas personalidades deste País desapareceram em circunstâncias ainda hoje por esclarecer? Quantos filhos desta terra, os mais bem intencionados, foram eliminados? Quantos não vimos partir, um por um, traídos, submetidos a julgamentos humilhantes, muitas vezes sumários e, de seguida, abatidos como gado? Se o povo guineense não se erguer, será espezinhado e humilhado. Como tem sido desde 1973.
In another post [pt], a day after the President's assassination, António fears more violence:
Ex-ministros guineenses ligados a “Nino” Vieira estão a receber ameaças de prisão ou de morte na sequência dos assassínios no país, disse hoje o antigo chefe da diplomacia do país, Soares Sambú.
Há “pelo menos nove nomes” de personalidades políticas que estão a ser “perseguidas”.
Segundo Soares Sambú, a “lista” inclui nomes como os ex-ministros da Defesa Helder Proença, Marciano Barbeiro e Daniel Gomes, o ex-ministro da Economia e Finanças Issufo Sanhá, os dos antigos secretários de Estado Isabel Buscardini, Roberto Cacheu e Baciro Dabó (antigo chefe da antiga secreta guineense) e ainda o empresário Manuel dos Santos (“Manecas”), além do próprio Soares Sambú.
Sobre o paradeiro de João Cardoso, ex-chefe de gabinete do Presidente da República, Soares Sambú afirmou desconhecê-lo, admitindo porém que o homem forte do regime esteja em segurança, mas em local desconhecido.
Nino Vieira had a troubled political career. He was the president from 1980 to 1999 and again from 2005 to 2009. In 1980, Vieira seized power and ruled for 19 years. In 1994, he won the presidential election but was ousted at the end of the 1998–1999 civil war. He made a political comeback winning the 2005 presidential election and had been in power ever since. Apparently, not everyone will miss the leader. In a comment left on Global Voices in Portuguese, Miguel Angelo calls for the President's assets to be confiscated:
Como Gunieense, essa triste notícia vem abalar mais ainda a nossa penosa reputação.
O nosso país tem até hoje a fama de lugar intolerante e de gente que não se entende. Como pode isso? O verdaeiro culpado disso é o prórpio Nino. Ele se transformou em ditador sem mais nem menos. Depois do golpe que ele deu em 14 de Novembro de 1980, prometeu na altura que iria fazer eleições livres e que não estava interessado a ficar no poder. Ficou direto 18 anos. DEZOITO ANOS!!!! Ninguém merece!!!
Uma geração inteira Somado a mais esses anos, só deu vergonha ao País. Agora a Guiné é um país de tráfico, do medo, da corrupção no mais alto nível e sem contar as roubalheiras e sem vergonhices de todo o tipo. Parece que não são pessoas capazes de entender que sem rotatividade no governo, não há democracia de verdade. São sempre as mesmas pessoas, o mesmo Nino e a sua corja.

author: Paula Góes


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Haiti: A Necessary Practice? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

My Life, an Open Book… says that the Haitian practice of Restavec is “not ALL bad”, but warns that despite the success stories, “we cannot ignore the fact that there are people who take advantage of the reality of poverty in this country by taking advantage of these needy children.”


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Iran:”Basij Blogs just an illusion” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Mohammad Masih, in weblogshahr writes [fa] that the news about launching 10,000 Basij blogs by Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ weekly magazine, is just an illusion. He adds that many Hezbollah (Islamist) bloggers have been active for years without having links to official organizations.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran:Heshmat Saran,a political prisoner died · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Several Iranian blogs including Eshterak reported[fa] that Amir Heshmat Saran,a political prisoner died in the city of Karaj.The blogger adds he was beaten up by security guards and did not receive necessary medical care.


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Iraq: What is the White House thinking?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“As Iraqis enjoy a slow return to normality, they remain wary of others in the region who are busy making their plans for a post-withdrawal Iraq. I'm not sure the White House is thinking about the same,” remarks Iraq Pundit.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Israel: Airport Security Detains British Rapper · Global Voices
Maya Norton

When British rapper Lowkey arrived in Israel this week to help raise funds to rebuild Gaza, airport security didn't react kindly to his arrival and detained him for questioning. David of Israelity explains: “For better or worse, we invented profiling… Justified? Well, yeah. The ultimate goal is to prevent people dying in a terror attack.”

author: Maya Norton


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Israel: Film Illustrates Problem of Closed Gaza Borders · Global Voices
Maya Norton

In the Israeli blogosphere you rarely get the feeling that everyone is listening and no one is talking, and that's the case today with the debut of a short film called “Closed Zone.” A 90-second animated film about the sealed Gaza border crossings,  “Closed Zone” already has 31,600 hits and 200 text comments on YouTube, and counting.
Cinemascopian, Israelity Bites, One Jerusalem, and Promised Land all post the video and its background information, but refrain from commentary.
Checkpoint Jerusalem's Dion Nissenbaum offers context and a description of the film, explaining that “Closed Zone” was created for the Israeli non-profit Gisha, which works to protect the freedom of movement for the 1.4 million residents of the Gaza Strip.
In their report on the closure of the Gaza crossings, in effect for the past 18 months, Gisha writes:
Gisha's position is that the closure is illegal because it punishes civilians in the Gaza Strip for acts they did not commit and for political circumstances beyond their control. The closure inflicts harm to the civilian population and civilian institutions by blocking the passage of goods necessary for health, well-being, and economic life.
“Closed Zone‘s” creator is Yoni Goodman. Goodman is best known for his role as Director of Animation for “Waltz with Bashir,” winner of Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes Award and widely believed to be the front runner for the same category at the 2009 Academy Awards. (Japan's “Departures” won instead.)
In an interview with the Jerusalem Post at the time of the “Closed Zone‘s” release, Goodman explains:
“I hate Hamas. They're out to kill us. Of course they are my enemies. I feel sorry for the Palestinian citizens who want to live their lives… People don't like to hear that Palestinians are real people. People prefer to think of them as evil, that they're all Hamas. It's easier to say, ‘let's punish them, let's kill them all.’ It's a lot harder to regard them as ordinary people who want peace.
In the companion video “Closed Zones: Behind the Scenes,” Goodman emphasizes:
The war made this project a mission for me. The character is a kid, he is kind of a kid and kind of an adult, a bit Arab and a bit Jewish, something that everyone can connect to. It is important not to turn this into a stereotypical film.
Gisha Executive Director Sari Bashi adds:
We chose the medium of animation to try to get viewers to recognize the humanity of the residents of Gaza. It is increasingly difficult to remind people that residents of the Gaza Strip are human beings who wish to raise children, to earn a living, to realize their dreams, both small and large.
The release of “Closed Zone” coincides with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's first trip to the Middle East, where she announced the United States’ pledge of $900 million to help rebuild the Gaza Strip after this winter's war with Israel. This amount will be significantly bolstered by the $5 billion raised by donors at this week's conference in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt.
But Israel will have the final say in whether to open the border crossings to commercial and civilian traffic. Support of the international community will be sought to ensure needs are met on both sides of the border. Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert affirms:
With supplies like concrete, with steel, unfortunately you could have a situation where that is diverted by Hamas, and instead of helping people to rebuild houses, they'll be building underground bunkers for their own military machine. So I think we in the international community have to find mechanisms to make sure that aid for the people of Gaza is precisely that.


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Israel: Gaza Aid in Exchange for Shalit  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“A proposal has been made in the U.S. Congress to link the 900 million dollars of aid pledged to Gaza to the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held in an undisclosed location without access to the International Red Cross, in contravention of International Law, for nearly 3 years,” reports Yael from Israel.


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Israel: Jewish-Arab Demographics in Delicate Balance · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Jewish Israeli communities in areas with high Arab populations face impending demographic problems about how to keep a Jewish majority. Rock of Galilee writes about how his village plans to stay Jewish.


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Israel: Saudi Woman Driver Arrested · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Aussie Dave from Israel reports that a woman in Saudi Arabia has been arrested for .. driving a car. “I will resist making any women driver jokes since I don’t want to obfuscate my disgust over the horrendous treatment of women in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim or Arab countries,” he adds.


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Jamaica: By the Bye  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Girl With A Purpose thinks that Jamaican politicians should put their money where their mouth is and foot the cost of running by-elections themselves.


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Jamaica: Young Writers  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp features writer Pamela Mordecai's wish list for young writers.


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Jordan: Adopting a Palestinian Child  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian blogger Ali Dahmash has ‘adopted’ a Palestinian child who lost his father in the recent war on Gaza. Read more about why he did that in this post.


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Kazakhstan: Balkhash Lake at a Glance · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Michael Hancock posts an extensive and detailed information about Lake Balkhash in the South-East of Kazakhstan.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Kazakhstan: Graffiti in Almaty · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Adam posts a set of images capturing the street art of graffiti in Almaty, the biggest city of Kazakhstan.


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Kazakhstan: Interview with a popular poet · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Neweurasia takes an exclusive interview with Erbol Jumagulov, a star and l’enfant terrible of the Kazakhstani modern literature.


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Kazakhstan: Who will get BTA? · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Zara writes a post about the situation around the Kazakhstan’s major bank, which has been acquired by the state recently.


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Kyrgyzstan: What president wants · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Gavin reflects on the interview of the Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev to BBC about expulsion of the American airbase.


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Latvia: The Penguins of “Nasing Spešal” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

All About Latvia writes on how Latvians “resort to humor” – and to blogging – “to help their own helplessness.”


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Liberia: Getting another chance at education · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Emily writes about Liberian youth getting another chance at education, “A vocational training school nestled in the mountains in Yekepa and ravaged during Liberia’s civil war is being restored to its former self.  This March, 100 students ages 13 to 25 will come to live here and learn to be electricians, mechanics and farmers.  80% of the students are female.  Many are former child soldiers caught up during the war and demobilized by the IRC.”


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Liberia: Good governance through strengthened media · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The Liberia Media Center, in collaboration with the Canada-based Journalists for Human Rights, has launched a multi year media development project under the theme: Good Governance through Strengthened Media in Liberia.


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Mongolia: 1.5 trillion Tugrik stimulus plan · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Bilguun reports on the Mongolian government's 1.5 trillion Tugrik stimulus plan for the national economy.


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Nigeria: Lessons For MPs On ICTs · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Recent happenings at the National Assembly [in Nigeria] indicated that Legislators in the country need some lessons in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for a sustainable development, writes blogger Remmy Nweke.


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Nigeria: V Monologues 2009: The Nigerian Story · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ore reports that Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) presents V Monologues: The Nigerian Story, a play based on interviews from 150 women from all over the country.


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Pakistan: Join The Long March · Global Voices
Rezwan

Aisha Fayyazi Sarwari at Pak Tea House urges Pakistanis to stand up for democratic forces by participating in the long march and sit-in organized by the lawyer leaders of Pakistan. Aimed at restoring the deposed judges sacked by former president Pervez Musharraf, these protests will begin simultaneously from different cities on March 12 and reach capital Islamabad on March 16.