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Southeast Asia: Newsmakers of 2008 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The big story of the year in Southeast Asia was the global economic downturn. A rice and food price crisis hit the region last summer. It was compounded by the dramatic rise of oil and gas prices. When prices of these commodities began to stabilize, Wall Street announced the crash of several banks and major financial institutions in the United States.
The recession in the U.S. was felt in Southeast Asia. It affected the real estate, financial services, and export industries in the region. Singapore was the first Asian country to experience recession this year. Because of the negative economic indicators, many began to worry that the Great Asian Depression of 1997-1998 would plague the region again.
Some of the memorable events which captured the gloomy economic outlook of the times were the following: Thousands of Filipinos queuing for a kilo of subsidized rice across the Philippines; scores of poor Indonesians in East Java who died in a stampede while waiting for alms; and the public protests of Singapore investors whose incomes were lost in the wake of the Wall Street crash.
The economic downturn has produced a few encouraging developments: It forced consumers to save money; entrepreneurs have started to look for innovative ways of doing business; and policymakers have admitted that there is a need to rethink their economic philosophies.
Distribution of cheap rice in the Philippines. Picture from Keith Bacongco's Flickr page. Political cartoon by Sacravatoons
Political upheavals
The past year was also a period of escalating domestic political upheavals in the region. Malaysia’s opposition party managed to secure several more seats in the Parliament during the elections last March. Party leaders even claimed that they were ready to form a new government.
The Philippines was rocked by a corruption scandal early this year. The First Family was implicated in the controversy. The President of East Timor survived an assassination attempt last February.
It was a chaotic year for Thailand: Two Prime Ministers were forced to step down from power; the country almost went into war with Cambodia over a border dispute; and the airport crisis a few weeks ago has weakened the dollar-earning tourism industry.
During hard and harsh times, people are more willing to express their anger in public. The year 2008 was also a year of provocative protest actions. Last June thousands of Malaysians protested in the streets against the government decision to reduce fuel subsidies and raise fuel prices. This was followed by succeeding protest activities which highlighted the opposition to the repressive laws of the government like the Internal Security Act. Fuel protests were also registered in Indonesia.
The most famous protest action of the year was organized by Thailand’s People Alliance for Democracy. The group was able to mobilize thousands of people everyday since August to December. The protesters succeeded in occupying the Government House, Parliament Building, and lastly the two major airports in Bangkok. Their determination and stubbornness were helpful in persuading the courts to rule against the interest of the ruling government. The group has vowed to return to the streets if they didn’t see reforms in government.
Protesters took over Thailand's two major airports last month. Photo from Pantip
Repression
When people are protesting in the streets, most likely governments would initiate measures to discourage these activities. In Myanmar the junta ordered the arrest of more than 60 people for participating in activities deemed subversive by the government.
The detainees were sentenced to long years of imprisonment. The prison terms were unbelievable: 2 years for reporting about the cyclone aid effort; 6 years for sending false information abroad; 20 years for keeping defaced images of national leaders in an email inbox; and 65 years for five monks and 14 members of 88 Generation Students group.
Thailand has charged several foreigners for allegedly violating a lese majeste law. Indonesia’s recently passed anti-porn law was criticized because of its possible negative impact on free speech and traditional art.
The armed conflict between Philippine government troops and Muslim separatist rebels in several areas of Mindanao Island has displaced more than half a million innocent civilians. Mindanao is located in south Philippines. The conflict escalated when the two parties failed to sign a draft peace agreement last August.
An evacuation center in south Philippines. Picture from Arkibong Bayan.
New Media
Media harassment cases have been reported in the whole region. Internet users have experienced many forms of censorship as well. Prominent bloggers and some journalists in Malaysia and Myanmar were arrested for refusing to toe the line set by the government.
Vietnam has introduced some new regulations on blogging. Thailand is blocking websites that purportedly insult the monarchy. Jakarta’s police want internet shops to record their customers’ IDs in a guest book to prevent cyber crime.
Social media websites like Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr were maximized by netizens in documenting events. In particular, they were useful in disseminating information about the cyclone aid effort in Myanmar and the airport crisis in Thailand.
Natural disasters
Natural calamities were big news as well. A destructive cyclone hit Myanmar last May. More than 100,000 people were killed. Myanmar is still suffering as cyclone refugees continue to suffer from hunger and illnesses. The junta’s incompetence was another disaster which worsened the situation. The government relief work was too slow and inadequate. The junta even considered refusing international aid.
Myanmar was hit by a deadly cyclone last May. Picture from Salai Thang.
Floods have killed scores of people in northern and central Vietnam last November. It was the worst flooding in the country in almost 25 years. A landslide in Kuala Lumpur this month was linked to the negligence of government authorities and irresponsible hillside developers.
Newsmakers
Who are the newsmakers of the year? Thailand’s PAD protesters for showing resoluteness. Their legacy is still under question but their bravery must be recognized. Former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra is another newsmaker. He was ousted from power two years ago but his name continues to inspire animosity, love, cynicism, and devotion among Thai citizens.
Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim scored a landslide electoral victory despite being accused of another sodomy charge. Cambodia’s Hun Sen was reelected this year; but the opposition claimed there was massive electoral fraud. The Philippine’s Gloria Arroyo has survived another impeachment attempt.
The region’s athletes who participated in the Beijing Olympics should be commended. After 12 years Malaysia won an Olympic medal. Another important victory was the silver medal of Singapore in table tennis. This was Singapore’s first Olympic medal in 48 years. Sadly, Brunei failed to participate in the games.
The Olympic Torch Relay was sometimes disrupted by groups protesting against China's human rights record. Picture from The Dainty Knife blog.
The China milk scandal was a big issue in the region too. China is the major trading partner of Southeast Asian nations. China-made milk products, and later even other food items, were scrutinized, strictly regulated and banned.
The US presidential election was closely monitored in the region. Both candidates – John McCain and Barack Obama – are popular in the region. McCain was a former Navy pilot during the Vietnam War while Obama lived in Jakarta for five years. Obama’s victory inspired many people to reflect about the need for change in their local politics.
For Southeast Asia, 2008 was a year of terrible disasters, both natural and man-made. Rice consumption was reduced, milk products were contaminated with melamine, jobs were lost, bloggers were arrested, and homes were destroyed. But the situation is not hopeless. The people expect reforms in governance. They are ready to mobilize for change, and if needed, throw shoes at politicians during press conferences.

author: Mong Palatino


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Ukraine: Political chaos and economic crisis · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

A Fistful of Euros analyses Ukraine's mounting political chaos and economic crisis.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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2008: A turbulent year for South Asia · Global Voices
Rezwan

Looking back on the events that rocked South Asia in the year 2008 we see that terrorism took the center stage in many places in this region. This was also a year of crucial and decisive elections in many South Asian countries.
The Global Voices coverages of the blogospheres of this region highlighted important perspectives on  various news that dominated the international press. They also brought up those issues which were less highlighted by the press. We will look at some of the most important issues or news makers of 2008 in the eyes of the Global Voices authors and the bloggers of the region.
Bangladesh:
Bangladesh was effected with the world food price hike and subsequent shortage of rice. Bloggers debated  whether Bangladeshis were facing a hidden hunger as a consequence.
The freedom of press was much questioned in Bangladesh. Bangladeshi bloggers had heated discussions on media repressions in the country.
The use of citizen media flourished in Bangladesh in 2008. A moderate earthquake jolted Dhaka city on the 27th of July and almost instantaneously citizen journalists from Dhaka started to report on this via tweeter and blogs.
Some Bangla bloggers demanded justice for a poor worker, who was abused and killed and justice was delayed for her as evidences went missing and the case was stopped. Something unprecedented was seen:
An online campaign was launched, which included blog , Facebook group, an i-petition etc. Offline, there were protests and human chains organised to raise the public's awareness of the case.
These prompted the mainstream media to bring this issue alive. The case was finally re-started.
An AFP story claimed that a wealthy Bangladeshi has constructed ‘an exact copy’ of Agra's legendary Taj Mahal spending  58 million dollars which was relayed by many international media across the world. Some Bangladeshi bloggers went there to investigate and reported via blog posts, pictures and videos that the claims were far from truth and it is probably a money making scam.
The long awaited parliamentary election of Bangladesh will take place on December 29, 2008. Global Voices will highlight the citizen journalists’ efforts during the election.
Bhutan:
In Bhutan tourism is discouraged to protect the culture. However some bloggers hoped that a “Miss Bhutan” Competition would set a new trend breaking the ice.
A visitor blogger claimed:
“The whole country is a photographer’s paradise. The dzongs and monasteries are all beautiful. But so are the people. So calm and friendly.”
Bhutan has now entered a new era of democracy after the elctions in December 2007 and March 2008. On several occasions Global Voices has linked to Tshering Tobgay, a Member of Parliament of Bhutan and the leader of the opposition party, who is blogging on different issues.
The coronation of the new Bhutanese King His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck was held in November. Some Bhutanese netizens used blog to pay tribute to the king. However, a debate also sparked as the Nepali refugees were ignored in the King's coronation speech.
India:
On the happier side, India unveiled the super mini $2500 car Tata Nano and the blogosphere were buzzing with pride and commented that cars should no longer be luxury goods. Much to the bloggers delight the Tata Motors of India later acquired Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford Motors.
The India-US nuclear deal was also a much debated but positive development for India.
But the year 2008 was particularly a bad year for India. On 13th May, serial blasts rocked Jaipur and 60 persons were killed. In July, India was rattled and bled by more bomb attacks in Ahmedabad & Bangalore with barely a gap of 24 hours. The bloggers sounded their frustration on the government's failure to address lapses of security.
On September 13th Delhi was rocked and terrorized by serial blasts. A month later India's northeastern state of Assam was rocked by a series of bomb blasts which killed at least 76 people and injured hundreds. Some  bloggers asked whether bomb blasts are becoming normal affair for Indians and wondered which city would be next.
Their prediction came true as on November 26th, 10 terrorists landed in Mumbai via boat and large-scale terror attacks using a combination of gun fire, blasts, grenade blasts were started simultaneously in various locations. Global Voices was breaking the news thanks to Neha Viswanathan, former editor and regular contributor for GV, who started updating from the citizen media channels like blog, tweeter, Flickr, etc. in the early hours of the tragedy when everybody was searching for news. A special coverage page was soon up. Global Voices also highlighted voices from other countries of South Asia and Middle East who opined on this tragic event.
In this year radical Hindu nationalist mobs have rioted and attacked Christians in a number of Indian states, claiming that lower-caste Hindus and tribal peoples are being forcibly converted to Christianity. The bloggers critically debated on the issue and the post attracted many comments.
Maldives:
On January 8th, Maldives president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom survived an assassination attempt.  In August the constitution of the country was amended and a debate among the bloggers ensued as the new constitution prevents non-Muslims from becoming citizens of Maldives, curtailing freedom of religion in the country.
Maldives held its first multi-party election in the country in October. The outcome of the first round of election on October 8 was not enough to decide so the polls went to the second round. The election was the hottest topic in Maldivian blogosphere who hoped for a change ending the long tenure of  Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Mohamed “Anni” Nasheed had won the run-off poll and became the new president.
Nepal:
Nepal held its parliamentary election in April where the Maoist party had the surprise majority. The monarchy was dismantled and Nepal had been declared a republic. The new government faced some challenges early on.
There was a huge debate over the issue of integration of the former Maoist guerrillas with Nepal Army. The IDPs (internally displaced people) were ignored in the peace process in Nepal.
Even after the restoration of democracy in Nepal, the country’s press has not been freed from repression, the bloggers say.
On the positive side Nepal jumped ahead of many countries on Gay and Transgender Rights.
Pakistan:
Pakistanis voted on February 18th and we highlighted the bloggers’ reactions on that day. Some bloggers were not hopeful with the outcomes but as the results were coming out they started to realize that the vote was not rigged as thought and they will be able to get rid of the incumbent president Musharraf.
Global Voices highlighted the lawyers protests and the bloggers take on the issue.
In August president Parvez Musharraf resigned and the bloggers were engaged in a speculation what future awaits for Pakistan.
In September Pakistan capital Islamabad was rocked by a massive explosion outside the Hotel Marriott.
Pakistan's misery was increased by a massive quake in Baluchistan region in October. A Wiki page on the quake was quickly up by a renowned blogger iFaqeer which listed the relief and rescue efforts and provided donation.
Pakistan was also rocked by a deadly car bomb in Peshawar in the first week of December.
Sri Lanka:
The internal conflicts troubled Sri Lanka the whole year. A blogger had this to say about the ethnic conflicts in Sri Lanka: “It is being prolonged by misconceptions born (out) of prejudice, parochialism and rivalry.”
Another blogger criticized the Sri Lankan Army's ongoing efforts to gain control in Killinochchi and warned Sri Lankans of dire consequences.
In March, Arther C Clarke, the British author who lived in Sri Lanka since 1956 died.  Many Sri Lankan bloggers paid their tributes to him.
In the end I thank all the fabulous authors from South Asia for bringing all these news and views from the blogosphere to the readers of the world.

author: Rezwan


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A Review of Global Voices in 2008 · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

Nearly 3 million people visited Global Voices in 2008. At times of natural disasters or conflicts, our traffic peaks – often with readers who are trying to figure out what's going on in their home countries from abroad, or simply curious people who are trying to understand global events from a local perspective.
Global Voices regional editors have written roundups of the last year of posts in their regions. You can find them on the Best of 2008 special coverage page, and even add your own favorite posts to our public Google map.  Global Voices’ executive director, Ivan Sigal, has also written an organizational overview of what we've accomplished. And our media archive is always a good indicator of what the world likes us for.
Want to know what our most read posts were in 2008?
China – Tibet, Olympics, Earthquakes
As in 2007, our most read posts in 2008 were from China.
As part of our Reuters-sponsored Olympics coverage, John Kennedy wrote this post in May that received more than 700 comments about the fallout after  a pro-Tibet protest (and counter-protest) in the United States. One young protester was a Chinese overseas student, Wang Qianyuan, who was subsequently harassed online very severely.
Disagreements over Tibet raged so much throughout March and April, that even this short post by Oiwan Lam sparked intense discussion, as did many others on Chinese bloggers’ angry responses to Western media coverage.
In May, less than 2 hours after an earthquake shook China's Sichuan province, John Kennedy wrote a much-read post with citizen video and photos that he continuously updated over the next hours and days. It was one of many posts that appeared on Global Voices describing both the earthquake and the devastating aftermath.
Japan – Google Street View
High up on the list of most read posts is Chris Salzberg's translation of a post in Japanese by Osamu Higuchi describing the cultural clash in Japan with the introduction of Google Street view, the online mapping service that uses actual photos of city streets and street life. This post was Slashdotted in English, Japanese and Chinese, and became a source for several mainstream media articles. There were several updates to this story by the Japanese team on Global Voices.
South Ossetia, Russia and Georgia – War
The international media were taken by surprise when violence erupted between Georgia and Russia in August over South Ossetia. On Global Voices, Onnik Krikorian reported quickly from blogs of the region before most journalists had even made their way there, earning links and praise from the New York Times, CNN, Reuters, and others, along with Veronica Khokhlova, Elia Varela Serra, and others from Global Voices who helped cover the conflict through citizen media.
India – Mumbai Attacks
The highest spike in traffic we received all year was for the combined posts and special coverage about the Mumbai terrorist attacks in India in November. Neha Viswanathan on Global Voices was among the first to link to citizen photos of Mumbai only hours after the attacks, and the coverage continued with contributions from Rezwan, Awab Alvi, Farhan Janjua and the rest of the South Asia team.
Thanks to everyone
There were numerous other authors and stories that deserve mention for their posts in 2008 (our Special Coverage section should give you an indication of how busy everyone has been). Global Voices depends on the daily posts of more than 150 authors and translators all over the world – and even more so the thousands of bloggers worldwide who are relaying their daily thoughts and experiences for all to read. Thanks to our readers for standing by us, commenting, subscribing and donating.
Happy new year, and please keep reading!

author: Solana Larsen


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Afghanistan: US Plan for Militia Is Dangerous · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Azar Balkhi reports that the plan, proposed by some American experts, to form local semi-military troops to fight against the terrorists, was met with criticism in Afghanistan. The Afghan MP opines that such a step would diminish the role of local tribal leaders, and power will be taken by the old and new warlords.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Arab World Reacts to “Gaza Massacre”  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

People from across the Arab world are lamenting the fate of Gazans, after a wave of Israeli aerial attacks, which have killed more than 200 Palestinians and wounded more than 700.
The silence of Arab governments in particular is hitting a raw nerve.
Ayhamjzzan from Syria writes in Arabic:
نصف الشهداء ال200 نساء وأطفال
100 طن متفجرات من 100 طائرة أطلقت على غزة اليوم
أين العرب والشعب العربي هل هذه حرب ضد حماس أم إبادة لأهل غزة
أين الكرامة العربية ولماذا نقف متفرجين كما الأنظمة العربية البائسة تتفرج ولاتفلح إلا بالتنديد
Still in Syria Qunfuz says that the massacre was easy to foresee. The blogger adds:
This is a deliberate, cruelly organised crime. And nobody notices.
This morning, with children in school, people on the streets and in offices, policemen at a graduation ceremony, the sky screamed and roared. There are reports of general panic, and of streets clogged with corpses.
I know the writing becomes a whine when these simple sentiments are expressed: but, again; imagine you are living, or dying, with your children, in such a place. And imagine that the world ignores you.
Jordanian Mohammed Badi posts this image and writes:
Gaza… Don't Cry, We Are With U
Label Ash [fr], a Moroccan from Barcelona, is swamped by a sense of doom:
La ligue arabe dit qu'elle va se réunir lundi pour contrer l'offensive israélienne. Ils arrivent à garder un sacré sens de l'humour.
La ligue va juste condamner avec des joutes verbales stériles.Y a-t-il quelque chose à faire? Non.
Pardon pour la froideur sentencieuse de la formule, mais cela ne sert plus à rien. La Palestine s'éteint, petit à petit, mais elle s'éteint.
“La Palestine appelle le monde, mais ça sonne occupé” (Amazigh Yacine)
Jordanian SimSim is also appalled with Arab and international reactions to the suffering of Palestinians. The blogger says that every time such a tragedy strikes, history seems to repeat itself – with the same reactions and statements.
On Arab government reactions, SimSim notes:
Turning his attention to the international arena the blogger says:
ليش اسرائيل متى هدت اللعب ؟ ولكن الآن تقتل بموافقة الأغبياء العرب … طبعا بحجة توحيد الصفوف وايجاد حكومة واحدة لفلسطين
احلى اشي البيت الاسود ….. تدعو اسرائيل الى تركيز ضرباتها بعيدا عن المدنيين ….. هاي الحنان ولا بلاش
The best thing is the Black House, which has called on Israel to focus its attacks far from civilians. This is what I would call compassion.
SimSim also describes Arab people as follows:
A fitting finale to this round up can be found at On Olives and Sake, where Syrian blogger Yazan Badran posts a headline which reads:
Happy Bloody New Year.
For more reactions, stay tuned to Global Voices Online.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Is France ready for a black president? · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

Martiniquan blogger le blog de [moi] writes about the effect Obama's victory has had on France's identity as an ethnically diverse nation.
En effet, dès le lendemain de l’élection du 44ème Président des Etats-Unis, la France s’est découverte multiculturelle ou plus précisément multiethnique. Elle a semblé se souvenir qu’il puisse y avoir des Français “de couleur” (on va se la jouer pudique) et pire parmi eux des Français Noirs ou métissés. La belle affaire !
Non, j’exagère un peu. Ca lui arrive de temps en temps à la France de se souvenir de sa réalité. Au gré d’un événement marquant (victoire mémorable, commémoration ou mort d’un homme célèbre) par exemple. La problème c’est que ça ne dure qu’un temps et “ils” redeviennent vite des étrangers ou pire des immigrés (comprendre ici des boucs émissaires voleurs, profiteurs de tous poils, preneurs de job des “vrais Français qui se lèvent tôt”).
The question being bounced around in the media, le blog de [moi] writes, is “can Obama's amazing success story happen in the country of Human Rights?  Could France elect a Black President?”
le blog de [moi] writes that, had she been asked such a question, she would have replied “Are you kidding me?” and “without a shadow of hesitation.”
So she was surprised to read a poll in the French newspaper Le Figaro conducted the day after the election in which 61.30% of respondents said that they would be willing to vote for a black candidate.  Moreover, earlier this month, during an address at Polytechnique (France's preeminent, elite engineering school), President Nicholas Sarkozy announced a commission would be created to encourage political diversity, saying “In order to introduce more diversity, there must be a deep renewal of the political class.”
“The conversation is heading in the right direction,” le blog de [moi] writes.
Guest blogging at Alain Mabanckou's blog,  Eugene Ebode is less optimistic.  He lambasts the French attitude towards diversity, citing the falling out of grace of “diversity” political personalities Minister of Human Rights, Rama Yade (of Senegalese descent) and Minister of Justice, Rachida Dati (of Moroccan descent).
“Le refus français de poser la question raciale sur la table est une politique de l’autruche. Il faut constater, dans les tourments ressentis hier par Azouz Begag, ministre délégué à l’égalité des chances du gouvernement Villepin et les déboires de Rama Yade et de Rachida Dati d’aujourd’hui, le goût des organisations politiques françaises pour les « coups médiatiques ». Ils devraient pourtant veiller sur l’implantation locale de la diversité. Les blocages des notables, encouragés par un racisme rampant et par des préjugés entretenus, ne servent pas la cause de l’unité nationale. Le débat entre éthique et statistique opacifie aussi en France les enjeux.”

author: Jennifer Brea


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Global Health: 2008 Blogs In Review · Global Voices
Juhie Bhatia

Bloggers in 2008 showed all the ways in which global health is interconnected with other issues, by covering health stories that touched on everything from poverty and women's rights to the environment and economics. They shared stories such as the prohibition of cannabis in Japan, how ads for children's food products that were banned in the UK are still being aired in many South Asian countries, and whether the Singaporean government should legalize organ trade. Here's a further glimpse at what bloggers discussed in 2008:
Global Food Crisis
Prices of the world’s most popular food staples – wheat, corn, sugar, and rice – soared in many countries this year, for reasons ranging from changing diets and bad weather to rising oil prices and the decline of the U.S. dollar, the currency most of these staples are traded in. The crisis was felt in many countries, with consequences such as demonstrations, riots, and many health concerns. Bloggers discussed how to cope with the soaring cost of rice in Southeast Asia, videos showed how people in Haiti were eating mud cakes to survive, and others explored how the food crisis impacted Tajikistan.
Reproductive Health and Abortion Debate
Reproductive rights, including the right to an abortion, continues to be a hot topic among bloggers around the world, whether it's debating legalizing abortion or loosening existing laws. In the Philippines a proposed bill mandating couples to be informed about birth control methods, maternal health care, and other reproductive health concerns, sparked the debate on reproductive health issues. In Brazil abortion is considered a crime, unless the pregnancy is the result of sexual abuse or puts the mother's life at risk, but 70,000 women die of complications from clandestine abortion attempts each year. Abortion also continues to be a controversial issue in Ecuador, India, and  Kenya, where the procedure is currently illegal unless the pregnant woman's life is in danger.
AIDS 2008 Conference
The XVII International AIDS Conference took place in Mexico City from August 3rd to 8th this year. The event occurs every two years in a different city and this was the first time it was held in Latin America. However, two internationally recognized Iranian HIV/AIDS specialists were prevented from attending the event, as they were accused of planning to overthrow the Iranian state and held in prison. Bloggers, including those at Global Voices, closely followed the conference, discussing topics such as youth's involvement in the event and how HIV/AIDS disproportionately impacts marginalized  communities such as men who have sex with men and sex workers. Another area of focus were the travel restrictions imposed on HIV-positive people. The restrictions were condemned as being discriminatory and shameful.
China Toxic Formula Scandal
There were a series of tainted-food scandals linked to China this year, raising many questions about China's food safety policies. One health scandal in particular had bloggers talking up a storm. It erupted in September when Sanlu, China's top-selling infant formula manufacturer, publicly recalled its products. The baby formula was deliberately contaminated with melamine, an industrial chemical that can cause kidney problems. It resulted in thousands of children becoming sick and a number of infant deaths. The incident caused enormous public outrage in China and around the world, particularly after claims about the media's manipulation of the scandal. Bloggers in Southeast Asia and Africa expressed concerns about the safety of Chinese products, while others discussed the alternative to formula — breastfeeding.
World AIDS Day
December 1st marked the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Though the impact of HIV and AIDS is felt by millions of people globally every day, the day provided an opportunity for people to raise awareness of and share their experiences about this devastating disease. While the global percentage of adults living with HIV has leveled off since 2000, 33 million people are still living with HIV, and 2 million people died of the disease last year. To commemorate World AIDS Day, Global Voices created a map of HIV-positive bloggers and caretakers who have bravely shared their stories. Bloggers from Armenia to Jamaica to Madagascar observed and reflected on World AIDS Day.
Global Health Videos
This year videos also became a more common way to raise awareness about health issues. Renowned war photographer and photojournalist James Nachtwey used his TED Prize to create a video of his photos that show the global impact of XDR-TB (extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis). In Cambodia sex workers took to the Internet to bring attention to how the 100 percent condom use law, which states that condoms must be used during sexual exchanges with clients, is being turned against them. Several videos were also created to propose solutions for supplying clean water and making it easier for people to have a healthful liquid to drink.
Outbreaks and Hope
Bloggers also wrote about outbreaks that occurred this year, such as a yellow fever scare in Paraguay and the more recent cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe. Fortunately, not all news was bad news in 2008 though. The year ended on a hopeful note with U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's victory in November. Many people globally are hopeful that his victory will mean a boost for global health issues. Time will tell. In the meantime, bloggers such as My African Diaspora caution that we should remain hopeful about next year, but also be patient:
“Temper expectations. Change won’t occur overnight. We’ve got so many pressing priorities: the economy, healthcare, the war, foreign policy and a slew of others. He won’t be able to wave a magic wand and make it all better. To expect him to would only demonstrate our own ignorance of the political process. Instead, reserve judgment and criticism and engage in the governance of your country. It is our right and our responsibility.”

author: Juhie Bhatia


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Guadeloupe: Why not celebrate Kwanzaa as well? · Global Voices
Fabienne Flessel

Besides the traditional celebration of Christmas, Guadeloupean people have recently taken up a new celebration: Kwanzaa, which starts on December 26 and lasts until January 1.
This new phenomenon is made all the more interesting since Guadeloupe, which is historically Roman Catholic, celebrates Christmas as a part of a strong cultural heritage – even non religious people mark the occasion.  So how come they have recently been including the celebration of Kwanzaa as part of the season?  To answer this question, Shaka Zulu in Gwafakwika tutors his readers [in Creole] about “what exactly is Kwanzaa?”
Ka sa yé ankò Kwanzaa? On mak fabrik? Awa sé sélébrasyon kiltirèl a tout nèg a si latè. E sé osi sélébrasyon a tout kominoté é tout fanmi nèg. Ki moun ki kréyé sa? Sé on dénonnmé doktè Maulana Karanga ki sé profésè a étid afrikenn an péyi mériken. I kréyé sa an 1966. Pou ki i kréyé-y? Sé padavwa tout nèg ka apwann tout kilti a dòt pèp é ras andéwò dè ta yo. Kwanzaa a pa on rèlijyon mé on sélébrasyon kiltirèl
Another explanation is given by Allain Jules in leflingueur [Fr]:
C’est un évènement majeur, le plus important même pour les negro-africains. Importé des Etats-Unis depuis peu, il a déjà commencé à faire jaser sérieusement en France.
Jules goes on to reassert the non-religious and comprehensive dimension of Kwanzaa:
Kwanza est donc un ensemble permettant à la fois de se retrouver pour mieux se connaître, de parler pour mieux s’apprécier, de manger des mets de l’océan indien, les saveurs africaines ou caribéennes, de partager des idées d’innovation, de vocation, de créativité, de découverte, de coopération, tant politique, sociale, qu’économique, et de mettre en place, des entraides.
…which begs the question of who brought this celebration of Kwanzaa, “created” in the USA, to Guadeloupe.  Part of the answer could be the massive influx of the Guadeloupean youth into the United States of America (about a decade ago, the younger generation of Guadeloupeans began to consider North America as an alternative to Continental France for their university studies.)  But Shaka Zulu answers the question most precisely through this reference to Ama Mazama [Fr]:
Ama Mazama est également connue sous le nom de Marie-Josée Cérol. Native de la Guadeloupe, elle est docteur en linguistique (Sorbonne Nouvelle, 1987), et enseigne au Department of African American Studies de la Temple University (États-Unis).
As we can hear from this video from the French Swiss media, le Matin.ch [Fr] Ama Mazama is well-known for her commitment to Pan-Africanism and her view on the history of the colonization in Africa and the Caribbean. That is partly why she took up a new name, shedding her previous Guadeloupean name for an African one.  No surprise then, to discover that she is the one who decided ten years ago, to make Guadeloupeans understand what the celebration of Kwanzaa is all about.
This year, as in previous ones, Ama Mazama is back in Guadeloupe to celebrate Kwanzaa with family, friends and a growing number of people who have discovered and taken up the tradition.  The big event in Guadeloupe is taking place on Saturday, December 27th 2008 following this schedule:
1/ Conférence-débat (vidéo-projection)
Thème : Les implications de l’Election d’OBAMA pour le monde noir.
2/ Présentation des 7 préceptes du Kwanzaa
3/ Festivités : Echanges culturels, poèmes, Gwo Ka…
…and of course the traditional Kwanzaa feast!

author: Fabienne Flessel


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Happy New Year Global Voices! · Global Voices
Ivan Sigal

Global Voices has undergone some exciting changes in the past year, and a recap is in order.
In August I had the pleasure of joining this wonderfully energetic and talented group of writers, translators, activists, and bloggers. As the new Executive Director I've been learning every day, and I am proud to be a part of this community as we expand our networks and look for new ways to sustain our work.
In 2008, we've had a number of big changes. First, after being supported since 2005 by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, Global Voices took a big step towards its future by registering as an independent nonprofit organization. We are now officially “Stichting Global Voices,” a Netherlands-based foundation dedicated to supporting and facilitating citizen media and blogging.
Our mission remains the same: to call attention to the most interesting conversations and perspectives emerging from citizens’ media around the world; to support the emergence of new citizens’ voices; and to advocate for online freedom of expression around the world.
While we continue to have strong informal ties to Berkman, we now have a constituted board, a growing staff, and independent administration. While our registration is Dutch, we remain resolutely global in character and virtual in our operation.
We have no office; instead the world is our workspace. Our board members hail from Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, Bahrain, Utah, and Massachusetts; our staff are in Trinidad & Tobago, Taipei, the Hague, Washington D.C., Toronto, moving between Copenhagen, Puerto Rico, and New York, or simply homeless, caught on the jetways between Antananarivo, Dhaka, Durban, El Alto and Kolkata. Our editors hail from places such as Brasilia, Cochabamba, Almaty, Kiev, Paris, and Beijing, and our authors are simply everywhere.
From the start, Global Voices has been a project powered equally by a volunteer, community effort and by the support of donors. In 2008 that community has continued to grow; we now have some 120 authors and some 130 translators contributing their time and effort to make GV a success.
Financially, GV has also continued to grow. Our donors have included the MacArthur Foundation, Reuters, the Knight Foundation, Hivos, the McCormick Tribune Foundation, Google, and the Open Society Institute. In 2009 we're also lucky to be supported by the Media Development Loan Fund on strategic planning, as a fiscal sponsor, and on funding support. We also have the support of the New World Foundation and the Arca Foundation. And while the financial collapse in 2008 has been hard on everyone, we're hopeful that we'll be able to maintain and grow Global Voices through a combination of volunteer effort, donor support, partnerships with other media, syndication, and possibly select advertising.
With that in mind, we've recently set up a donations mechanism, to help us cover the costs of running our newsroom, paying our server expenses, and supporting our small, dedicated staff.  Even a small contribution will help us to keep bringing you the best of online stories and news from many languages and around the world.
On programs, we've had an excellent year, and are tremendously excited by all the work and projects that await us in 2009.
Our newsroom is garnering international recognition for its work finding and amplifying unheard stories; we're finding that we are particularly useful in times of crisis and natural disaster. These stories are gathered on our Special Coverage pages, which in 2008 focused on events such as the Kenyan elections violence, the Myanmar cyclone, the Sichuan earthquake, the South Ossetia conflict, and the Mumbai, India attacks. We also ran popular special projects together with Reuters around the Beijing Olympics, and Voices without Votes, about the U.S. presidential elections. For 2009 we're looking forward to continuing our coverage of underexposed and underrepresented stories, especially in light of the continued decline in international media coverage around the world.
Our outreach initiative, Rising Voices, now supports 17 projects to bring blogging and online media to underrepresented communities. Rising Voices is developing from a micro-grants and training program into a network of online community media projects that support and help each other by sharing best practices, training, and knowledge. We're sponsoring another round of micro-grants in January, and planning to expand the network beyond grantees to support other projects in the burgeoning citizen media community.
Our translation community, Lingua, is now translating Global Voices content to 16 languages. Lingua has grown incredibly, from only Chinese and Spanish in early 2007, to “one of the largest volunteer-based online translation communities in the world.” The Lingua community is likely to keep growing in 2009, with another five languages in line to set up sites.
Our Advocacy project has had a busy year, in the face of increasing pressure and attacks on bloggers around the world. In 2008, Internet journalists became the most targeted of all media producers in repressive environments. In response, GV Advocacy has reported on online media persecutions in 40 countries, conducts training and advocacy at conferences and workshops, and provides resources and guides for blogging anonymously and using web 2.0 tools for advocacy. We've translated our guides into seven languages and seen more than 12,000 downloads in the past 14 months. In 2009, we'll be continuing with these projects, and also expanding our news coverage of attacks against bloggers, including podcasts and video reporting.
One of the best things about the Global Voices community is the constant brainstorming about new ideas, projects, and ways of working. GV started as an experiment in the power of networks, and some of our most successful projects have grown out of ideas generated and driven by individuals in our network. For 2009, I'm certain we'll see ideas come together that are only possible when many work on a common goal, but with each contributing their own specific skills, knowledge, and enthusiasm.
With that in mind, we encourage you to join us! Subscribe to our daily digest email and RSS feeds, and don't hesitate to contact us if you would like to become a Global Voices author, translator (or donor!).
Thanks to all, and Happy New Year.

author: Ivan Sigal


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India, Bangladesh: Maritime Dispute · Global Voices
Rezwan

The New Horizon analyzes the reasons behind the recent maritime dispute between Bangladesh and India. Read the post for details.


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Japan: Un-hiring fresh graduates · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Job hunting for fresh graduates in Japan is an intense trial called shushoku katsudo or shukatsu for short. University students in their third year start shukatsu during the winter in hopes of receiving several naitei  (informal job offer/promise of employment) in May at the earliest, to start their new jobs on April 1st of the following year. Trapped in Japan refers to it as the “last war for the Japanese kids”, fought after the better-known hell of university entrance exams.
This year, hundreds of students are having their naitei canceled by companies suffering from a rapidly declining economy. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has reported [ja] the number to be 331 as of November 28th, but numbers are escalating and the situation remains unclear as many students are thought to be quietly conceding. For example, Japan Senior High School Teachers and Staff Union recently claimed [ja] that 76 high school students have had their naitei canceled, much higher than the 29 that the Ministry reported last month.
Essayist Tatsuru Ueda refers to an article from Asahi Shimbun and makes a prediction:
「このまま入ってきてくれても希望の部署にはいけないと思う。あなたのキャリアを傷つけることになるので、就職活動を再開した方がいい」関西の私立大に通う４年生の学生（２１）は先週初め、５月に内定をもらった大手メーカー（東京）から、電話で内定「辞退」を促された。
「就職氷河期」というかつて一世を風靡した言葉がまた復活することになるのかも知れない。
The phrase “employment ice age” that was so prevalent a while ago might be making a comeback.
A student who, along with that of 52 other graduates, is seeking compensation from a real estate company that canceled his naitei recently held a press conference. Zakzak reports :
学生は「働くことを心待ちにしていたし、会社に愛着も持ち始めていた。怒りよりも悲しみが大きい」と嘆いた。 […] 学生は「不動産業界はもう懲りました」と語り、現在は別の業界で就職活動中。ただ、時期が遅いため納得のいく就職先探しはかなわない状況だ。
id:JavaBlack points to the shukatsu system itself as the culprit:
結局は年功序列賃金の元で「安価な労働力」である新卒一辺倒な採用過程が問題なんだと思うよ．この問題は1991年のバブル崩壊で既に指摘されていた．そして十五年以上たった今でも，企業は何も変わっていなかった．
Kirikomi Taicho calls for students to get smart:
そもそも内定を取り消さなければならないような企業に無理に入ったところで、そのあと大変なことになることぐらいは分かると思うんだけどな。この前、不動産屋に内定取り消されたとかで団交やってる学生の話を報じていたけれども、言っちゃ悪いが本当に来年新卒で入社するころには会社自体がなくなっていると思うぞ。
Yoshihiro Nakamura experienced a cancellation more than a decade ago and shares his thoughts:
取り消された当時はもちろんショックだった。しかし，内定を取り消されて数ヶ月後，岡山の某通信教育系出版社の子会社に転職することになった。そこで教材編集の仕事に出あえて現在があるので，人生どう転ぶかわからない。
ちなみに，弊社は内定を取り消した会社の仕事を受注したことがある。仕事を発注してくれる会社に悪い会社はないから，現在その会社に対して特別な感情はない。内定を取り消された後の人生が，そこそこ順調だからかもしれないけど。
On a side note, we once received an order from the company that canceled my naitei. Any company that gives you business can't be a bad one, and I no longer hold any special feelings toward that company. Perhaps this is because my life since my naitei was cancelled has gone pretty well.

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Kazakhstan: Religion Law Point/Counterpoint · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

KZBlog analyzes the controversial new law on religion which passed Parliament is waiting for the President’s signature. The law is clearly created defensively to prevent cult-like activity or terrorist cells from working in the country. However it effectively criminalizes religion by demanding that religions prove themselves innocent before being allowed to work.


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Kazakhstan: Religious Law and OSCE Chaimanship · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust reviews the Kazakhstan's new Religion Law, which is still pending presidential approval, and says that without any leverage—say, threatening their OSCE chairmanship—there is little influence the West could exert.


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Mongolia: Ninja Mining · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Bilguun writes about so-called ninja miners in Mongolia – the people, who dig small unauthorised mines or pan dirt for gold. Ninja mining towns have become more or less self-sufficient, with their own economy, rules and social structure, nearly independent of the government thanks to the government choosing to ignore this section of society.


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Northeast Asia: 2008 Review · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The northeast Asia region is becoming more integrated politically, economically and socially. State leaders from China, Japan and South Korea recently signed a Joint Statement for Tripartite Partnership to address the serious challenges in the global economy and the financial markets. Peace talk between North and South Korea continues, while China and Taiwan have begun cross-strait direct flight. In 2008, issues related with the Beijing Olympics, food security, natural hazards and human rights, etc. are common concerns among people in the region.
China: Natural hazards, clashes, Made-in-China, Olympics and human rights
A week-long snowstorm that ravaged south China marked the beginning of 2008 in which the country suffers from abnormal natural hazards. Trains got trapped on halfway stations were crowded with tens of thousands migrant workers anxiously waiting to go home.
Natural hazards
Yet nature did not intend to let China go with only a blizzard.
May 12, Wen-chuan, 8.0Ms Earthquake claimed over 69,000 people, and many of them, unfortunately, are children. The country soon united for rescue and relief after the disaster, and besides the mass army force mobilized, a great many NGOs were born much like bamboo shoots to help millions of refugees. Citizens took actions to spread updated information, depending largely on the internet. International aid, such as that from Japan joined in since the value of human life transcended the state barriers.  Though the earthquake will be a trauma of the nation forever, it will also be memorized as a monument for the courage with which people struggled for the survival and relief for both themselves and people around.
Food security
Of the global food crisis in 2008, perhaps nothing gained as much publicity as China's poisonous milk scandal. The scandal raised many questions surrounding the lacking role of the media in exposing corruption, what is considered adequate government regulation of food standards, and global interdependence.
The poisonous milk scandal raised questions about corporate responsibility; while the initial main culprit was the Sanlu Group, the scandal involved at least one fifth of all diary producers in the country, suggesting that adding melamine to diary products was an industry wide practice. It also got people wondering how many government officials were involved, what the role of the government in monitoring food safety is and setting adequate and acceptable food standards is. The scandal also led to criticism of government control of the media.
On a global level, the poisonous milk scandal showed how interconnected we are in the current age, in particular where even the EU commissioner felt compelled to make a statement by drinking Chinese milk to prove its safety, only to suffer mysteriously from kidney stones a few days later in a strange twist of fate.
Oppression-struggle-oppression, voices against injustice
2008 China witnessed a variety of ways citizens struggle for their rights and have their voices out and heard.
First of all, people strike.
As the economic growth more or less covered up social problems in the past has now faltered, social unrests erupt. Bus drivers, cabbies, and teachers have one after another launched strikes throughout the year and the country to argue for not only better pay but also a fairer rule of game. It's notable that because the government has stretched so far into nearly every corner of the economic department with its dominant power, the labor-employer conflicts have often transferred to be a confrontation between the public and the authority.
People petition and blog.
Even during the relief of the earthquake, our alert of possible corruption has never been swayed. We questioned, also, why so many innocent children were killed by the shoddy-quality, collapsed schools that should have withstood the impact of shaking. When being aware that what we ultimately need is nothing but a democratic political system to really let people's voices have their place, 08 Charters were proposed and signed.
However, even peaceful expressions, more often than not, are unacceptable by the authority. Criticizer of shoddy schools got detained, charter signers were interrogated, and petitioners, unluckily, were penned up in madhouse. Political activist, Hu Jia, won the European Parliaments’ Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought were still in jail. Internet speech were closely supervised, speech freedom of paper media were clamped, and bloggers were expelled out of heir blog hosts websites. What's left? Violence seems to be a doomed answer.
That's why in the “push-up incident”, over 10,000 people in Weng'an county directly attacked the party committee and government building when a girl was doubted to be raped and killed by boys with official background who escaped punishment.
Violent protest reached its second climax when Yangjia, a person who was said to be wronged by Shanghai police, killed 6 cops with 1 knife. His brutal deed, however, is debatably called a heroic action. And his sentence of death, on the other hand, is nevertheless thought to be a tragedy.
Olympics and Torch relay
Could Olympics dispel all the unpleasant? The Game itself has indeed reached the goal, but the torch relay, as a crucial part of the sport ceremony, preludes the Game with conflicts.
Spielberg's finger-point on Darfur issue kicked off the debate. It went further as in March 14 riot broke out in Tibet. While the western world sided with the unrest monks, patriotism triggered more Chinese to defend China's sovereignty over the land. Credit of western media bankrupted in Chinese people's mind, anti-CNN formed, and the debate turned white-out as the torch relay was spoiled in France in the name of defending human rights. A special coverage featured the entire story, and the comments after the post are as attractive as the entry itself.
Writers’ pick: Citizen reporter killed—by who? and Pollution map of China released.
Hong Kong: Cyberactivism
In Hong Kong, citizens are more active to use social networking tools for campaigning. The Sexy Photogate marked the confrontation between netizen and police at the beginning of 2008. Before the Beijing Olympics, bloggers formed a blogtorch chain and passed the torch around the blogosphere. During the Legislative Council election, facebook network of friends fooled the election poll. Environmental campaigns in Ha Pak Nai and Lung Mei also spread through facebook and internet forum. No wonder the government proposed to introduce mandatory internet censorship at the end of 2008, and probably we can see more bananas flying around in the Legislative council in 2009.
Writers’ pick: Save the Ha Pak Nai Wetland.
Japan: Culture, media and technology
Chris has written a Japan blogosphere year-end round up here.
Writers’ pick: Missing Pieces in Tainted Rice Scandal and Rikimaru Toho, the first manga narrating cantastoria
Korea: Political crisis, North and South
Soon after conservative Lee Myung Bak became the president in South Korea, his policy, in particular education was under criticism. Students demonstrated against the raise in tuition fees. The discontent among the youth, later developed into a marathon candle night vigil against the importation of American beef, a new political generation is in formation. Apart from the youth, even Buddhist monks were angry at the new president.
The relation between North and South Korea is still tense. A woman crossed the border by accident resulted in death and spy scandal happened now and then. The missing of Kim Jong Il in public function of course would lead to a lot of speculation. However, it is a relief that North Korea is no longer a listed terrorist-sponsoring state and some Korean decided to launch anti-propaganda campaign in the North by spreading propaganda leaflet. Then suddenly North Korea announced closing the land border and cutting non-military phone links with South Korea. Even train service was suspended.
Writers’ pick: A New Mobile Network and Chopsticks… Rather Complicated…
Macau: Article 23
In a city where an eyewitness report on bank run would be charged by police for “fabricating dangerous information”, the further introduction of national security law is really threatening.
Writers’ pick: Say No to Article 23 and White Terror.
Taiwan: Political Changes and protests
Taiwan changed their President and ruling party in 2008 from Chen Shui Bian (DDP) to Ma Ying Jeou (KMT). The change is not only significant to Taiwan society, it is also a precious lesson for mainland Chinese. Dramatically, with a few months, the former president became the key figure in the country's biggest corruption case, while the new president reminded people of the phantom of police state in dealing with protest during the visit of a mainland China official Chen Yunling. Students demanded to revise the parade and assembly law, but the government decided to harvest wild strawberries, a peaceful student movement for human rights, a few hours after the International Human Rights Day.
Photo courtesy of judie.
Direct flight between China and Taiwan has begun in 2008 marking a new era of cross-strait relation. However, it seems that ordinary Taiwan people has less concern about economic interest, but more about food security, mainland China banning of Taiwan movie Cape No.7,  human rights in Tibet, and Taiwan Baseball's performance at Beijing Olympics.
Writers’ pick: Observations on Yahoo! Taiwan's search filter, The return of local cinema, not just cape no7, The flying saucer houses will be torn down, Racial commercials everywhere and No city for old aborigines
This article is collectively contributed by Bob Chen, David Reid, I-fan Lin, Hyejin Kim, Oiwan Lam, Lokman Tsui and  Portnoy.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Palestine: Dozens Killed in an Israeli Attack on Gaza · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

Israeli aircraft launched air attacks across Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 100 people, including the Hamas police chief, according to Israeli and Palestinian sources. Zeinobia wrote a new post about the “Ongoing Massacre in Gaza“.

author: Tarek Amr


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Palestine: Israeli Airstrikes Spur Actions from Bloggers · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Following the end of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, violence and tensions have escalated between Israel and Gaza.  Today, Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza in what the AFP calls “one of the bloodiest days of the decades-long Middle East conflict.”  So far, the death toll in Gaza is at 210 and rising.
The Palestinian blogosphere, which is made of Palestinians and supporters around the world, is furious with what they perceive to be needless actions from Israel.  No Justice No Peace…The Big Picture, an honorary member of the Palestinian blogosphere, spoke out:
200 dead, 750 wounded, and for what? For Qassam rockets which have killed < 10 people in 8 years. If ever there was an epitome of disproportionate use of force this attack by F-16's (paid for by US tax dollars my fellow Americans) is it.
All in the name of “self-defense”. Please. This is immoral offense, and indiscriminate killing, and, by god, if you hold elections and call it a democratic process then deal with the results in a civilized manner, but not quarantining Gaza, withholding funds, petrol, electricity, medical supplies, humanitarian ships, ad UN mandated observers from entering Gaza and then wonder why home-made rockets are being fired (with no sophisticated guidance chips or any chance of doing massive damage).
PalestineFreeVoice points out that Israel used internationally banned weaponry in the attacks and reports:
On Saturday noon in the first wave of air strikes,the Israelis targeted Gaza City government buildings. Casualties are confirmed and include the Commander of Gaza Police Force Tawfiq Jabir, the Commander of Security and Protection Services in Gaza police, Ismail Al-Ja'bari and the Governor of the Al-Wusta (central) Districts Ahmad Abu Aashur.Islam Shahwan, a Hamas police spokesman, said that the Israeli attacks have destroyed most of the Gaza Strip police headquarters and that a police graduation ceremony was being held during the Israeli assault.
Global Voices’ own Bahrain author, bint battuta, shares a text message from a friend in Rafah:
Text from teacher friend in Rafah: “They struck the whole Gaza Strip at the same second. Many of the casualties are school children. My colleague told me he has seen 8 cases of death in the street. He picked his son alive. I am in my school now and the horror is everywhere in Gaza.
Palestinian bloggers are already ensuring that this most recent airstrike will spur the blogosphere into action.  Ali Abunimah, writing for The Electronic Intifada, notes that demonstrations are being planned around the world:
On top of the intense anger and sadness so many people feel at Israel's renewed mass killings in Gaza is a sense of frustration that there seem to be so few ways to channel it into a political response that can change the course of events, end the suffering, and bring justice.
But there are ways, and this is a moment to focus on them. Already I have received notices of demonstrations and solidarity actions being planned in cities all over the world. That is important. But what will happen after the demonstrations disperse and the anger dies down? Will we continue to let Palestinians in Gaza die in silence?
Palestinians everywhere are asking for solidarity, real solidarity, in the form of sustained, determined political action. The Gaza-based One Democratic State Group reaffirmed this today as it “called upon all civil society organizations and freedom loving people to act immediately in any possible way to put pressure on their governments to end diplomatic ties with Apartheid Israel and institute sanctions against it.”
Global Voices will continue to offer coverage from a variety of blogospheres.  Check our Gaza bombings Special coverage page often or subscribe to the Palestine RSS feed for further reports.

author: Jillian C. York


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Palestine: Living Conditions Worsen Under Hamas · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Ramzy of MidEast Youth observes: “Ever since Hamas went to power the Palestinian people’s living conditions are from bad to worse with every day because it is internationally recognized as a terrorist group and can’t be endorsed as part of the world system without renouncing violence and recognizing Israel and therefore a tight siege has been imposed on Gaza Strip.”

author: Maya Norton


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Palestine: Reacting to the Star of David Symbol · Global Voices
Maya Norton

“If I believed in God, my prayer would be that I never see the star of David again as long as I live, so help me God,” writes Yasmin of The Angry Arab Comments Section blog. “It is impossible for me to separate it from the Israeli flag, which represents racism, hatred, and violence.” Check out the comments on this post for a diversity of reactions.


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Palestine: Relief Boat Docks Safely in Gaza Port · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Free Gaza announced that a relief boat carrying medical supplies landed safely in Gaza's port. Among its passengers were representatives of 15 different nations. The Palestinian Video Blog has live footage.


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Palestine: Shopping for Palestine · Global Voices
Maya Norton

“When you buy a Palestinian product, it not only represents solidarity, but also creates a direct bond between you, the Palestinian people, and the land,” Annie of Annie's Letters believes.


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Philippines: Uproar over mauling by mayor/son of Cabinet secretary · Global Voices
Tonyo Cruz

Filipinos are unleashing online vitriol at Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr., son and namesake of President Arroyo's agrarian reform secretary, who reportedly mauled two persons last Dec. 26 at a golf course in Antipolo City.
(Photo of Secretary Nasser Pangandaman Sr., courtesy of USM.)
Vicissitude witnessed the incident and could not hide the shock and disgust that she saw her own father and younger brother beaten black and blue by purported “public servants”.
A Filipino Mom Blogger asks bloggers to read up and take concrete action.
The D Spot wrote:
A lot of politicians have been lording it all over in cases of graft and corruption which is already unforgivable, now here they are lording it over, as if they own the world, as if they can go over the law, as if they can just maul and poke their guns on people—the old and the young, and the very old and the very young.
Misteryosa described the incident as “appaling” and “just about the most outrageous things I’ve ever heard this year”, and laughed at news that the Mayor actually received an award for “effective leadership”.
Random Detoxification is angry at the Pangandamans and the officials of the golf club where the incident happened:
What's worse than a group of armed politicians beating up an unarmed old man? The management and staff of a golf club who were there THE WHOLE TIME and did NOTHING! Nothing but watch and then afterwards tell the beaten up family to LEAVE!!! The old man was bleeding and half-unconscious but no doctor was called, no assistance offered. Only an order to leave the premises. As if the old man and his children were the perpetrators of the crime and not the victims.
lux-lucis.net contemplates:
What fuels my outrage — apart from the violence of the incident itself — is the fact that it happened in the first place. Monsters would not be able to do this if they weren’t so confident in the protection of their power; if they were not so absolutely certain they would get away with it, eventually. There are people who say that punishment is not a good deterrent for crime: I say it is, as long as people know that the punishment will be meted out regardless of the status of the offender. This… is not the case here, where the rich get away with everything from rape to murder and former presidents somehow find a way to re-establish their positions in power despite charges of plunder. Ours is a system that fosters injustice.
And I refuse — I refuse — to simply accept this. I refuse to say, “this is the way things work, we just have to survive and hope we don’t get crushed by the unfair system.” We don’t have to tolerate injustice. Acceptance, resignation, apathy — these things will just propagate it. But we need people to actively fight against it. We have voices, we have eyes with which to see, ears with which to hear, hands with which to write messages the world can see. Time to make use of them.
Mistervader writes:
I can't believe the gall of these people. I don't care if you're powerful, or influential, and I don't care how much clout you have. When you commit something this atrocious, you deserve more than just a slap in the wrist for it.
It's high time we stopped allowing people like these from getting away with their shenanigans, acting as if they are above the law. I have nothing but vile words to spare for them, and I have no sympathy for them whatsoever.
Let's see what happens next, and whether the elder Pangandaman gets to keep his post as cabinet secretary and what would happen to the case to be filed by police on Monday.

author: Tonyo Cruz


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Russia sets list for companies of strategic interest · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Robert Amsterdam comments on the Russian governments recently published list of companies of strategic interest.


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Saudi Arabia accuses Egyptian of Espionage · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

27 year old IT programmer Youssef Al Ashmawy is currently detained in a prison Riyadh and is accused of spying on the Kingdom.
Zeinobia wrote:
Saudi Arabia is detaining Egyptian Internet activist Youssef Al Ashamawy. Youssef is being accused of spying on the kingdom for the Egyptian intelligence!!  Youssef is detained or in fact is in jail since last August 2008 !!?? He was forced to sign confession with the above-mentioned accusation. He worked for an IT company that installed some systems for the Saudi Intelligence.
She wonders
Why would Egypt spy on Saudi Arabia ?? Are not we best buddies ?? Are not we the good Sunni axis that stands against the Shiite axis of Evil !!?? I do not know if Mubarak will interfere this time but I do not have high hope. Youssef has been detained since last August and Mubarak did nothing for the two doctors (who were sentenced to 1500 backlash each and prison time); in fact he visited the Kingdom and returned back without referring to them. Of course the Egyptian intelligence won’t comment or issue any press statement that denies or confirms the allegations of Saudi Arabia. They have not already issued a statement concerning Ashraf Marwan up till this moment for the record. Till now the human rights organizations in Egypt are following the matter.
From the political view I think this is an official step back in our relations with Saudi Arabia. Why now did the Kingdom announce the charge of Youssef after 4 months of his arrest ?? You do not accuse a citizen of another country of spying and expect that your relations with it will be fine. This is not the Yemeni case I am afraid for it involves one of our citizens whom I do not know what he is going to face from punishment this time.
Of course our official newspapers ignored the whole incident. They have not received the permission.
An Egyptian commented on the same incident in Arabic and in English saying:

author: Marwa Rakha


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UAE: World’s First Refrigerated Beach · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Dubai's new Palazzo Versace Hotel is set to feature the world's first refrigerated beach, reports Norma of Bloggin’ Banat. She comments: “Clearly, nature is no obstacle for this lavish playground. The beach’s sand will be cooled via an underground system of heat-absorbing pipes and giant wind blowers… Apparently the refrigerated beach might generate enough carbon to affect the climate.”


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Ukraine: “A Democratic Question” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukrainiana writes about president Yushchenko's answer to the question that got over 85,000 online votes: “A straight question needs a straight answer. Instead, we got a rambling lecture, replete with peripheral thinking.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Ukraine: Explosion in Yevpatoria · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukrainiana writes about the explosion in an apartment building in Yevpatoria, Crimea, which has killed at least 27 people.


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World Runner Comes to Jordan · Global Voices
Mohammad Azraq

Danish Runner Jesper Olsen is running around the world crossing four continents to promote running as something all cultures have in common.The Danish Ambassador to Jordan HE.Thomas Lund-Sørensen writes about this:
As I am writing these lines the Ultra Runner Jesper Olsen from World Run II is crossing the Ramtha border control (hopefully without too much hassle) and entering Jordan. Jesper will be running through Jordan from today and is planning to exit to Egypt on the day before Christmas the 24th of December.
From December 18th to 24th, 2008, the Danish ultra runner Mr. Jesper Olsen will run through Jordan. He is completing the World Run II Project: The North – South Run, which is the world’s longest non-stop run, aiming at completing a distance of 40.000 km passing through four continents in three years. The run began in Nordkapp, Norway, July 1st 2008 and the finish point in New Foundland, Canada, is expected to be reached by the end of 2010. When arriving in Jordan Jesper Olsen will already have completed more than 8000 km of running.
Having met Jesper tonight I can say he feels fit and very welcome in Jordan. Passing the Ramtha border was a piece of cake – he was officially saluted “Ahlan wa Sahlan” by a small detachment in uniform and received various maps.
Today Jesper ended up just outside Amman on Jordan Street. Tomorrow he and Ammar Sabbah together with other Amman Road Runners will run to JRTV for a live interview on Ammar’s show “Beiti” on Jordan television and then continue towards the south. Other runners should feel free to join. Both Jordan Times and Jad’s blog wrote about the World Run Project. It is a truly unique and enormous project and for once something that is far away from politics.

author: Mohammad Azraq


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Brunei: Stricter regulation in car purchases · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Local Freakonomics from Brunei is happy over the more stringent enforcement of down-payment for car purchases since this will prevent consumers from spending what they could not afford.

author: Mong Palatino


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Cameroon: Blogging to save 4 year-old from orbital tumor · Global Voices
George Esunge Fominyen

Update: It has been reported that  on January 8th little Bright Fuh passed away at the hospital where he had been receiving treatment in Yaounde. May he rest in peace.
In mid-November 2008, Cameroon's national TV (CRTV) featured the story of a four year-old boy called Bright Asangwei Fuh suffering from a rare orbital tumor that could not be properly handled in the country. Since then a group of well wishers have created the blog Bright Fuh Supporters, to raise support for the little boy's medical evacuation to the USA. In their own words, this is their mission:
We the supporters and friends of Bright Fuh, have come together to lend our joint efforts to leverage financial, material and human support for Bright Asangwei Fuh, the little Cameroonian child who is fighting for his life at just 4 years of age. He is diagnosed with a rare orbital tumor. Our goal is to help get this child treated in the United States of America. Please join us and volunteer in one of our committees to help get resources together to help Bright and deliver him from such a deadly disease. Join us in Prayers for Brigt and his family. This is a world wide effort for Bright and you may join Bright Fuh supporters in the USA, UK or Germany and more to come
The Bright Fuh Supporters blog has several pictures of the young boy that show the seriousness of his condition, such as the one on the left taken during the early stages of the tumor's growth. These impressive pictures have moved many Cameroonian bloggers to spread the word about Bright Fuh's case to fundraise and to help him get the operation he needs. For example, Mambe Nanje Churchill who wrote:
My eyes are filled with tears as I cry for this little boy and his parents, I guess its realy hard for them to take it. He is a four year old little boy from Bafut currently in Yaounde because he cant see with his right eye because due to an infection called “Right Orbital Tumor”. This picture is what I saw on his article on www.crtv.cm and I have never seen something like this before, so we are all called to see how we can help this little boy either by posting his story around or by just donating some funds so that this Cameroonian can live to be our next President, Doctor or Lawyer.
The contributors to the blog include medical doctors, such as the one that provided a medical description of his condition in the first post on the blog:
Bright is a jovial 4 year old, suffering from an aggressive Retinoblastoma, per initial discussions with his doctors in Cameroon. Retinoblastoma is a rare form of cancer that begins in the part of the eye called the retina, which is a thin layer of nerve tissue that enables us to see. Most cases are unilateral (involving only one eye) as in Brightʼs case, but some may be bilateral. If the retinoblastoma spreads, it can spread to the lymph nodes, bones, or the bonemarrow. Rarely, it involves the central nervous system.
The doctor-blogger further indicates what has been done to the boy and what still has to be done to save his life:
In Bright's case, his tumor is unilateral, and per conversations with the doctors taking care of him in Cameroon, it is growing aggressively. He had surgery 2 years ago to remove the tumor but it has recurred with a rather aggressive growth, now involving over half of his face, extending into his facial bone structures and also some involvement of his brain tissue.
We are also informed he began chemo therapy to slow down the growth of this tumor with very little success as you can see from the pictures. At this point, intervention will not only be a shot at improving his quality of life but also at saving his life.
The most recent post has two pictures taken by a journalist from Cameroon's national TV (CRTV), one of them reproduced below, with a note suggesting that Fuh Bright's condition is worsening:
The tumor is visibly larger that what we saw before and he is in a lot of pain and distress. We are asking all supporters of Bright at home and abroad to join forces so that together we can chanel all our energy towards helping this child. Please continue to keep Bright in your prayers, to make a donation for Bright please go to our website www.africanwomensfoundation.org and make your kind donation.

author: George Esunge Fominyen


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Ecuador: Public Spending by Correa Administration · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Juan Montalvo of Ecuador Sin Censura [es] criticizes the public spending of the Rafael Correa government and cites financial figures comparing previous administrations.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Palestine: The Untold Story in Gaza · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Sameh Habeeb, thought to be the one of the only English-language bloggers currently blogging from Gaza, offers an on-the-ground report of yesterday's events in Gaza.


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Palestine: Who is Responsible for Gaza? · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Egyptian Ahmed Tammam asks who is responsible for the attacks in Gaza: “Hammas?? Isreal?? Aeabic world?? Islamic World?? May be All…”


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Ghana: Election runoff · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

African Elections Project posted some pictures of the runoff for the 7th of December Presidential elections taking place today, while @ghanaelections has been offering live Twitter updates on the voting.

author: Elia Varela Serra


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Iran Review 2008 · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

In April 2008, the Berkman Center for Internet and Society published an interesting study on the Iranian blogosphere and estimated that there are around 60,000 active Iranian blogs. There are all sorts of blogs in Iran, and in 2008 they have been creative, dynamic and active in their diverse fields of interest fields and in many different ways. Here are a few of the most interesting stories of the year from the Iranian blogosphere:
Sex, lies, money & YouTube
In June, students at Zanjan University in North-West Iran recorded and uploaded a video of their school's vice president, Hassan Madadi, with his shirt unbuttoned, allegedly preparing to have sex with a female student. Several Iranian websites and blogs said that the female student had alerted her university's Islamic Student Association, saying she was under pressure by the vice president to have sex with him. The vice president resigned as he could not deny the charges, thanks to YouTube and blogs.
In another event in June, a former member of Iran's Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission, Abbas Palizdar, accused several top clerics of corruption in a speech at Booali University in Hamadan. He offered details of illegal business deals and criminal offences, accusing several of Iran's leading political figures, including influential Ayatollahs. His words spread very fast thorugh blogs and YouTube, but the authorities reacted violently and arrested him. No trial so far.
Green Bloggers: Save nature
Environment has been an important issue for Iranian bloggers and a significant number of green bloggers emerged in Iran to campaign and advocate for green issues.
In July July 5-10, green bloggers decided to launch a campaign to inform people and other bloggers about the beautiful wetland nature and their endangered status. They also published several photos to show the beauty of the Anzali wetlands in contrast to its destruction.
Islamist Bloggers: No compromise with Israel
There are Iranian bloggers who do not support democracy or secularism, and some of them are islamist. In August, Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, the Iranian vice president for tourism and the director of the Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization, was under fire after he declared that Iran is “a friend of all people in the world, even Israelis and Americans”. He said almost the same thing a few weeks ago, but “corrected” his comment by saying that by “Israeli people”, he did not include Zionists and Jewish immigrants. Esmail, an Islamist Iran-based blogger, wrote that a group of Islamist students held a demonstration in front of the Cultural Heritage Organization in Tehran to protest against the Vice President. The blogger published several photos of demonstrators and their slogans such as, “Go live with the lovely Israelis” and “Being a revolutionary requires revolutionary action not illusion”.
Bloggers remember beloved ones
Fortunately blogging is not only for big political issues. In September, Iranian bloggers remembered Mohsen Rasoulov, a passionate Iranian photographer, artist, cartoonist and photo-blogger who was one of the 68 passengers that lost their lives when an Iran-bound Boeing 737 crashed at the end of August.
Death Penalty for Blogging?
In July, the government of Iran who in recent years has repressed bloggers and jailed some of them, announced that members of the Iranian Parliament voted to discuss a draft bill that seeked to “toughen punishment for disturbing mental security in society”. The text of the bill was to add, “establishing websites and weblogs promoting corruption, prostitution and apostasy,” to the list of crimes punishable by death.
human rights # human rights
It is true that in some cases bloggers have been active in supporting human rights, such as in the case of  Hossein Derakhshan's arrest last month. But they have also been rather silent in some other cases of arrests of less popular people. In July, an Iranian cleric named Ali Reza Jahanshahi was arrested after he protested against corruption. Only a few Islamist bloggers talked about his case while most other bloggers, seemed to ignore his case. Probably because he was a cleric.
Most recently, Iranian blogger Omid Reza Mirsayafi was sentenced to 36 months of prison because of the content of his blog accused of insulting Iranian religious leaders and doing propaganda against the Islamic Republic.  Bloggers haven't paid too much attention to this case and have not launched a campaign for his release yet, as has been the case with other more famous jailed bloggers.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Malaysia: Former king dies · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Malaysia's former king, Tuanku Jaafar Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman, is dead. He was Malaysia's king from 1994-1999.


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Palestine: On the Ground in Gaza · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

In spite of the continued attacks on Gaza, and the loss of electricity in many places, there are Gazan bloggers who are managing to write about what is going on. In addition, there are a number of foreign human rights activists in the Gaza Strip who are providing eyewitness accounts.
We start with a Gazan blogger who is actually in the United States at the moment. Laila El-Haddad, who blogs at Raising Yousuf and Noor, writes about what her parents are experiencing:
My parents live in the the city center, and the Israeli war planes attacked people and locations all around them. Over 50 “targets” by 60 warplanes, read the headlines in Haaretz. And over 220 killed – in broad daylight; in the after-school rush.
Like a movie tagline. Or a game. If you say it enough times, it does not sound real anymore: 50 targets, 60 warplanes, 200 people, 1 day.
All very sanitary. Very sleek. Neatly packaged: war in a gift-box.
“There is a funeral passing every minute. The bodies are piling up.” Gaza's air is saturated with the smell of burning human flesh. There is panic, as one would imagine dogs would panic in an overcrowded cell when several of their own are violently, abruptly killed. But dead dogs – in a cage, no less, would create an outcry.
A Canadian activist with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), Eva Bartlett, blogs at In Gaza, and she describes the aftermath of one attack:
Among the civilians killed, the mother of my good friends in Jabaliya. Every loss is atrocious, but it is more poignant when you see it or know the dead.  […] Another international human rights activist and I spent last night with the family, not sleeping, crowded into a cold basement room made colder by opened windows, in hopes they would not shatter when the inevitable shelling re-commenced.  Indeed, the front window, closest to the street and site of shelling hours later, did shatter.
The family worried that Israeli ground-troops might invade and occupy their home, as they did in March 2008, and so we stayed with them, in support, though they certainly are strong and have weathered many past terrible days alone.  Mostly women and children, we rested fitfully, calling and texting those in other areas of Gaza with each new explosion, as the blasts continued from 11 pm on through the night.  Apache helicopters circled above throughout the night, and the buzz of an Israeli drone could constantly be heard.
At 10:10 pm, a text from another international [activist], in Rafah: “Israelis just phoned on the land-line to say that every house with weapons is a target.”  How Israel knows which houses have ‘weapons’ is one question, and what gives Israel the right to blanket bomb civilian areas is the greater question.  In our house, 13 women, 3 men (including one elderly man), and 6 children under the age of 3, one more girl 14 years old. Should Israel decide to know the house has weapons, that’s 23 more civilians lost. […] I will update more when time and electricity allow.  For now, I want to go to the home of my friends whose mother was killed, I want to pay my respects and to cry with them, for she was as gentle a woman as my own mother.
In another post, Eva Bartlett has written about the situation at Shifa hospital in Gaza City (please be aware that many of the images are disturbing).
Sameh A. Habeeb, who is a blogger and journalist in Gaza City, has also described the situation in hospitals:
Gaza hospitals announced inability of receiving the wounded due to lack of medical equipment and tools. Corpses of Palestinians were thrown on the corridors, rooms and units of hospitals. Meanwhile 2-3 wounded victims shared one bed due to lack of medical equipment, a result of the Israeli siege imposed 2 years ago. Basim Nai'm, Health Minster in Gaza said that Gaza medical sector needs tens of kinds of medical equipment and tools. A number of 70 wounded were referred to an Egyptian hospital.
Fida Qishta, who blogs at Sunshine, is a Palestinian ISM activist in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip:
Shortly before 7:00am local time, yet another Israeli missile strike hit the residential neighbourhood of Hi Alijnina in the southern Gaza town of Rafah. This time a pharmacy was targeted, totally destroying the building and causing severe damage to surrounding homes. Electricity lines were torn down during the blast and the street was littered with medicines. … Shocked residents poured into the streets, some still wearing pyjamas.
There are human rights activists from Lebanon, the UK, Poland, Canada, Spain, Italy and Australia currently in Gaza; many of them arrived with the Free Gaza movement's boats.  Not all have blogs, but you can read their eyewitness accounts of events in Gaza at the Free Gaza website, and at the International Solidarity Movement website. There are photos of the aftermath of the attacks on Rafah at Rafah Today (once again, please be aware that the images are disturbing).

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Palestine: “The Bloodiest Day Since 1967” · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

It started as a “normal” day in Gaza.  By the end of the day, however, it became clear that December 27 would be known as the bloodiest day of the Palestine-Israel conflict since 1967.  Although the target of the Israeli airstrikes was Hamas, as the day went on it became clear that there were also a number of civilian casualties among the 225 or so total.
Bloggers in Palestine and around the world are in shock as the numbers climb.  That shock, coupled with anger at the biased media coverage of the events, is palpable in the blog posts from today.
Marcy Newman of body on the line details her day in the West Bank, recalling the moment she heard the news:
11:30 am the itf begin their air strikes in gaza with american-made f16 fighter jets. the radio is not on in the service. no one seems aware of this fact. but within 15 minutes over 200 patients flood hospitals, like al shifa hospital. orthopedic and maternity wards are turned into make-shift emergency rooms. from 10 month old babies to 55 year old women, palestinian civilians are massacred. this is the single bloodiest day since 1967.
She concludes:
this is the bloodiest day since 1967. i have lost track of time. i have been watching al jazeera–english and arabic–for hours. it is now 3:08 am. the itf bombed a mosque a couple of hours ago across the street from al shefa hospital. i think that was at 1:10 am. i cannot keep track. 225 palestinians massacred. more in the rubble.
Haitham Sabbah, a self-described “uprooted Palestinian blogger,” shares a number of photographs taken today within the confines of Gaza.  Of them, he commented:
Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank went demonstrating against the Israel terrorist crimes in Gaza and attacked Israeli terrorists with stones. Reports indicated that all fractions between political parties vanished during these demonstrations, which included Hamas and Fatah supporters who attacked Israel's terrorist army side by side.
Moroccan blogger Al Miraat (The Mirror) proffers his usually calm perspective, stating:
Bombing civilian areas is not something civilized countries do. Since Nuremberg this is considered a war crime. This is a war crime; a massacre; a mass murder, committed by American made deadly weapons, mostly paid for by American taxpayer’s money.
The terrible thing is, this will not make Israel safer and will only aggravate the trend in the Palestinian (and indeed the Arab street) toward a more extremist position. These policies have been pursued for decade after decade and have led nowhere. It is Israel that is upholding the status quo.
KABOBfest's Mohammad, who is based in Palestine, summed up the day's events.  He was able to speak to friends and family members in Gaza, and reported on their reactions:
It was tough to get a line into Gaza during the day, but I managed to get hold of my uncle Mohammad in Gaza City. He sounded in shock, unable to say much. I asked him where he was; he replied that he was next to the building used to issue passports, and there were about 50 bodies inside. I couldn't say anything. I hung up.
My uncle Jasim in Khan Younis was also outside. He said he was okay, but there were explosions and dead people everywhere.
I didn't even bother talking to my uncle Mahmoud; my mom had called him and heard crying all around him. His wife was mourning the death of her brother.
I think the most poignant emotion was shock, whether in Gaza or in the West Bank. As its primary victims, we had become used to Israel crossing red lines in its continuous policy of opression and occupation. But this was something else. The sheer scale of the massacre was unfathomable.
He summed up:
Israel still believes it can impose its will by force. The only way its goals will be met is through genocide. But there is another angle, and that is the upcoming Israeli election. It is not novel for incumbent Israeli governments to carry out atrocities against Palestinians to garner domestic support, and with the Likud expected to win the next elections, this is definitely a power play by the embattled ruling party, Kadima.
Today, and probably the days to come, will be a clear demonstration os the very worst of Israel, what Will termed a dangerous blend of Zionist fantasy and election posturing. For 60 years, Israel has tried to use its overwhelming military prowess to cow the Palestinians into accepting the fate it dictates for them, and for 60 years no Israeli government has been able to do that.
Remember Gaza.
For more on the attacks on Gaza, visit Global Voices Special coverage page on the bombings.


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Rare Brunei stamp · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Rozan Yunos writes about a rare 6c Brunei stamp issued during the Japanese Occupation.


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Saigon Beer vs Angkor Beer · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Vuthasuf compares beer products of Vietnam and Cambodia.


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Syria: Anti-Israel Protests Planned for London · Global Voices
Deborah Ann Dilley

“A demonstration may seem like the most pointless self-serving act you can do at a time like this. But it’s better than sitting at home” writes Syria News Wire in announcing a protest scheduled for tomorrow in front of the Israeli embassy in London.

author: Deborah Ann Dilley


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Syria: Outrage at the “Massacre in Gaza” · Global Voices
Yazan Badran

The Arab world is somber today. The feeling of shock and disgust at the events of yesterday can be felt at every blog. As the Israeli Defense Forces bombed and wrecked havoc in besieged Gaza the blogosphere had a sense of disbelief at what is happening and the international reaction to it.
The IDF launched on Saturday, December 27, 2008, Operation Cast Lead, in response to local Qassam rockets being fired from Gaza. An intensive bombing of the Gaza strip that resulted (in its first 12 hours) in 230 dead and more than 700 wounded.
The news about Egypt's blessings for the campaign and its reported disinformation of Hamas helped make the words on the blogs even more bitter.
Qunfuz relays his feelings about what's happening on the eastern Mediterranean:
In other circumstances it might seem strange that a population on the Mediterranean coast is being besieged and starved without a murmur from the rest of the world. But this is Gaza, Palestine, and the victims suffer alone. Reports say Mubarak had given his assent to a ‘limited blow’ before today’s blood; he’s been keeping the Egyptian border with Gaza sealed, keeping the ugly oppressed in their cage very effectively since they briefly broke out last January. Tony Blair – who should be in prison but is instead poncing about in Ramallah and Jerusalem – has been winking to Israeli journalists about necessary change in Gaza. No response to today’s crime is likely in Lebanon, or Jordan, or Egypt. The peoples of Europe and America are, by and large, silent.
Jabs from Arabian Camel puts things into context and summarizes the last few months that lead to what happened yesterday:
I am sure everyone has heard about the 225 people that have been massacred in the latest Zionist aggression on the Palestinian people. This is just unbelievable, and the anger cannot be described, the anger not from what the Zionists have done, but from the silence of the Arab and Islamic nations towards this massacre and from those betraying governments, especially that of Egypt whose president (the fascist dictator) sold an entire nation, their cause and their future in order to keep his damn seat under his fat butt.
Anger from the blogosphere is being equally directed at the collective Arab decision makers. At their incompetence and utter inaction. Kinan Jarjous from Jar of Juice says:
Earlier they were listing every single leader I have heard of condemning the assault on Gaza that left 225 dead (as of this writing), and an urgent Arab Summit is to be called.
Till when is condemnation a sufficient “action”?
The latest campaign comes a few weeks before another campaign, that of the Parliamentary elections of Israel. In 1996's elections there was the Grapes of Wrath, in 2001, there was the Second Intifada. Could it be that these lives are just another campaigning effort for Israeli politicians. The irony of it all did not escape Sasa‘s post:
140 DEAD, 200 injured and Tzipi Livni surges ahead in the polls.
More coverage:
Maysaloon posts photos from Gaza, titled: Gaza Massacre.
Dubai Jazz write about safety, and the utter lack of hope.

author: Yazan Badran


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Syria: Present Day Nazis · Global Voices
Yazan Badran

“I mean the present-day Nazis that are shelling an entire population in Gaza. Who knew that the heirs to the ethnic genocidal policies of the Holocaust would be the Jews themselves? And have they perfected those policies!” Says Syrian blogger Lujayn, about the latest bombing of Gaza.


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Tanzania: Friends of Ruaha blog · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Samuel Maina of Theatre of Inconveniences introduces the recently launched Friends of Ruaha blog devoted to the conservation of the Ruaha Park in Tanzania which is “arguably, one of the largest and most beautiful wildlife parks in Africa”, according to him. The post includes a video from the Friends of Ruaha blog in which they explain what they do and how they do it.


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The Death of Ai Iijima, the End of an Era · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

For many men in Taiwan, this Christmas Eve was a day of regret and disappointment. It is not because that at this eve some of us would need to spend a significant amount money to please our lovers–thanks to the endless bombing from merchants and commercials. And neither it is because that others would be upset due to lack of lovers for the holiday–yes, for most people, Christmas in Taiwan is more like Valentine's Day–perhaps the forth or the fifth one. It is that in the era of closure on any discussion of sex issues, an ex-AV porno Japanese actress who accompanied us during much of our private time, and later successfully transformed into an entertainer in show business, was found dead in the afternoon at her house in Shibuya, Tokyo: her name is Ai Iijima.
This sad news soon was circulated on twitter. At the moment many did not know that she had been dead for several days and they sighed, thinking that she must be too lonely(to commit suicide on Christmas Eve). As more news were followed up, they started to realize that she was dead much earlier. On the day of Christmas, mainstream newspapers in Taiwan reported this event on front-pages or with the largest cover (besides the gift pandas from mainland China). Many male bloggers also expressed their sorry on hearing this news.
One of the most popular Taiwanese blog which discusses Japanese Adult Video exclusively, AV NO.1, published a breaking news and analysis at the very moment:
事實上飯島愛近年一直承受著心理和生理的雙重創傷，當初她自演藝圈引退的理由是「腎功能障礙」以及「背痛」，也傳出過因為「精神 官能症」而困擾；但在日本網友以及部分媒體的渲染之下卻變成了「性病」、「AIDS」，再加上自從走紅後她一直飽受流言攻擊，包括過去在酒店上班的同僚爆 料、同時還有她投資失敗身負 巨債等等，所以自從傳出死亡的消息之後，一般日本媒體多半猜測她是自殺身亡(目前還沒有確定，日本警方還在找尋自殺或他殺的證據)
Movie and politics blogger Sean Woo reflected his encounter with Ai Iijima:
我的女優初體驗，就是飯島愛給的。那是錄影帶與倒帶機還存在的時代，錄影帶會發黴，還需要清黴菌的藥水。高二的某天，我拿到飯島 愛的片，那時的我交過女友、只看過寫真，那時最紅的叫做李麗珍，在此以外，我對性愛僅有概念、缺乏體驗，甚至沒有最簡單的視覺經驗，三級片並不算數，有個 自認為這方面很強——個人推測是嘴砲——的同學把飯島愛的片交給我，囑咐我一定要看，似乎看了人生就會轉彎似的，我當然是恭敬不如從命。 ……
高中畢業後，就不聽到飯島愛的名字了，畢竟，女優界人才輩出、不像台灣偶像界幾年都不求長進，後進太多、前輩光彩立刻被壓過，要 不是飯島愛後來轉型成功，只怕她也會被淹沒在人肉的洪流中。不過，就像宮澤裡惠代表著全裸寫真的濫觴，飯島愛也是另一種始祖，五、六年級生不可能不知道的 名字，更是許多國、高中男生曾經幻想、膜拜、憧憬的理想（洩慾）對象，相信我，這其中必然包含了某種愛，雖然這個愛包含的是鹹濕與猥褻。
而有誰的青春完全不包含這種東西呢？
永別了，飯島愛，我永遠會記得妳的愛。
The representative of the Otaku community in Taiwan, Lucifer, used a lot of photos to memorizemuse over this Japanese actress who was so important to many men in Taiwan. In his post, he quoted a paragraph in classical Chinese written by netjedi from PTT Bulletin Board Service(BBS):
wangchingyu(萬金油) has a question for Ai Iijima:
如果飯島愛知道這麼多人愛她，她還會想死嗎? (如果她是自殺的話)又或者是，其實她看穿了，所有的愛和目光都是虛妄的，死前的最後一眼，她看到的是什麼，想到的又是什麼? 如果死因是自殺的話。
And even though Carol is a straight woman, she too writes a piece to grieve over the artist who brought her much and much happiness:
有人說上帝要了飯島愛當聖誕禮物，所以她離開人世，我好奇的是愛姐到底是去娛樂上帝還是去與閻王廝守，whatever，日本藝 能界沒有愛姐的毒言毒語，真是一大憾事。
愛姐，謝謝你曾經帶給我好幾年的快樂，嗯，大家別想歪了，是因為男女糾察隊，不是因為硬碟裡的影片。如果妳已經在兩千英呎以上的天堂，希望妳下輩子能過得比現在自由舒暢。
In addition to huge reaction from Taiwanese blogosphere , China blog “Tsao Bian Won Shih”(槽邊往事) and HK blog “Those were the days” also talked about this at the angle of “end of puberty“(zhs) and “collective memory of HK male“(zht).
From being despised to memorized, Ai Iijima is indeed a miracle of Japanese Adult Video. After successfully transformed into a writer and entertainer of popularity, she is also the model for many. Yet no memory could be enough for a precious life–goodbye, Ai Iijima.

author: Portnoy Zheng