Global Voices Online

John Guzman compares violence in Colombia and the United States.

Sir Tropical looks for some positive thinking on the web and finds I Believe in Colombia, a foundation stressing hope and empowerment.

Roberto Borrero writes an open letter to Guyana's president in opposition of the Amerindian Bill of 2005.

Gil Schmidt argues as to why the Puerto Rican Industrial Development Company should be done away with.

The Russian Dilettante reports on the growing acceptance of weissbier in Russia and why Baltika must rebrand every few years.

Notes From Kiev reports that junk mail has arrived in Ukraine, specifially in the form of the Reader's Digest Sweepstakes. However, such endeavors have some history to overcome.

Pestiside.hu says that it's not clear what the selection of Pecs as a European Cultural Capital really means beyond loads of euros.

DominicanPlayers.com says that Atlanta Braves outfielder, Raul Mondesi will run for mayor in his hometown of San Critobal.

Voch Me Ban comments on Vanadzor's lack of trees, phony municipal elections, and the disconnect between the Armenian diaspora and the people of Armenia.

neweurasia comments on the release of the latest book from Turkmenbashi (”Father of the Turkmen” as President Nazarbaev likes to call himself).

Mohammed of Qatar Living says that Qatar has the reputation of being the home of free speech in the Middle East. Not only is it home to Al-Jazeera, but it also plays host to The Doha Debates which are held monthly at the Qatar Foundation. The Doha Debates are chaired by the internationally renowned broadcaster Tim Sebastian, formerly of the BBC's HARDTalk programme.

Lina is not happy that the Felix Moley Journalism Competition through the Institute for Humane Studies is not considering Blog entries as valid to enter the competition, specially that she believes that blogs are playing a very important role vis-à-vis today's mainstream media, and that they are a powerful tool of expression, especially in countries with less press freedom and less open media… how come they aren't recognized as “published” writings by an Institute supporting liberal values?

Hoder is on his way to attend the DW panel on blogging, as part of the Frankfurt International Book Fair next week.

Zach talks about Gothamist interview with documentary film maker Marc Levin regarding his new film Protocols of Zion (movie blog here), chronicles Marc’s exploration of the rumor that no Jews died in the attack on the World Trade Center because they were warned in advance. Apparently he says, Jewish groups are protesting the film.

Farid Pouya says that Reporters Without Borders accused the Iranian government of seeking to increase its control of the Internet in recent measures that have included contracting an Iranian company to set up a new online censorship system. RSF report here.

Jonathan says that like much else in the Middle East, the emergence of Hebrew instruction in East Jerusalem sends mixed messages. On one hand, the ulpanim are a reminder that although Arabic is an official language in Israel, it has de facto secondary status in business and government. He also says that for those who can't wait for the conflict to end and society to change, they may be the best solution.

Firas envy Beckham, not for his fit body, fame or good looks, and absolutely not for his wife Victoria, it is just that Beckham could at any point head to Israel for FREE, where he will be greeted at the airport with wide opened arms, and a “Welcome Home” greeting. He could then apply for an Israeli citizenship, where he would be issued a passport, given an envelope full of cash, and keys to a new subsidized home. On the other hand, Israel can not let Palestinians back to their homes, because there is no enough space and natural resources , the place will be really overcrowded, that is what they claim. Firas says that today many of the peace activists and those protesting against the IDF are of Jewish backgrounds or Israeli nationals. Many of them arrived to Palestine through the right of birth program to discover the hard truth.

Ahmad Humeid says that the Jordanian FM radio spectrum is becoming crowded. But with what?

umkahlil says that On Wednesday, October 19 Christian Peacemaker Teams issued an Urgent Action appeal asking to call Israeli military officers and Israeli embassies to demand that the Israeli military fulfill its obligation to protect all people under its jurisdiction in the occupied West Bank, and to question the Israeli military statements that they would not protect At-Tuwani village –near Hebron– against settler violence, since even with their knowledge, Israeli military sources said specifically that the Israeli military would not protect At-Tuwani village. Luckily the calls were answered by Israeli military officers unhappy to be called during the night. We trust they realize that they would not have been getting these calls if the Israeli military had not said it would leave Palestinian villages exposed to settler violence.
THANK YOU!

Bethlehem Bloggers asks: Why is the route of the ‘security fence’ cutting so deep inside Palestinian land (see map from 'stop the wall')?

The Cambodia-Vietnam border negotiations continue to be a hot topic in the local blogosphere. Dissident blog KI Media (”dedicated to publishing sensitive information about Cambodia”) offers a copy of a secret treaty addendum it says Phnom Penh signed with Hanoi, while Lux Mean at Cambodia Blog is wondering whether the border talks have anything to do with the colors on the map of Cambodia changing between editions of the CIA Factbook. The border talks also happen to be an emotional issue with Hun Sen — in a different way.

Mutant Frog Travelogue has a paradigm shift: It's not that there's no intellectual property law in China; the problem is that there's too much of it.

Effect Measure is a blog run by public health experts and epidemiologists. They are very worried about what they call the bird flu iceberg.

Diana Wong at Chatter Garden asks whether newspapers can still survive in Hong Kong.

“What a year it's been,” says Macam-macam of Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's first year in power. Corruption and rising fuel prices bedevil the country, Sarapan Ekonomi notes. Meanwhile, Myanmar appears to be the next fuel domino in Southeast Asia to fall: Burma Watch.com observes that fuel prices there have just risen nine-fold.

If you're in Manila, get out your diaries: the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism is having a conference on “Journalists as Bloggers” this Saturday, Oct. 22.

Several blogs have been discussing the top-line item in local news: the South Korean government's handling of the prosecution under the National Security Law of a local professor who had published his controversial, “pro-North Korea” views on the Internet.

Our Man in Hanoi lists twenty things that make him smile in Vietnam.

Zainab Alkhawaja says that getting a citizenship should be about being Bahraini, not about the kings interests.

There have been a lot of positive opinions on the concept of Gross National Happiness (G.N.H) that Bhutan has been talking about. Atanu Dey however feels rather differently about it.

Morquendi has a lot to say about a Pakistani Newspaper's report on the LTTE enforcing dress-codes in Jaffna.

Rifat has views on homosexuality and its place in Islam - in light of Islam's perspective towards sexual relations.

Girl in the Meadow has an excellent rant on “tribalism, racism, sexism and the general deterioration of socio-political life in Kenya.

Australian blogger Nick in Nigeria gives 5 good reasons “why should you come to Nigeria” and Nigerian blogger, Fakafiki thanks him for “identifying with the Naija Spiritt!

Just how constitutional is the Media Ordinance inNepal? Legal News From Nepal has some views on the move.

A hot cup of tea is more than just that. Photo-ops, and sharing the cup with political allies. United We Blog! on the tradition of tea parties.

Technology blogger, Timbuktu Chronicles reports on “Jambo OpenOffice” the Swahili version of OpenOffice.org thereby localising free and open source software.

….my hearts in Accra is attending the Pop!Tech 2005 conference along with 12 young leaders of Africa - activists, bloggers and leaders -

Naija Blog asks that we “crack open the bubbly” as once again Nigeria is listed in the top ten most corrupt countries in the world by Transparency International - not surprising with the recent spate of money laundering by government officials.

Kenyan poet blogger Mshairi wonders whether Africa will soon get its second woman president in Mrs Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf who is running for election in Liberia along with ex AC Milan & European footballer of the year, George Weah.

What an African Woman Thinks reminds her fellow Kenyans of how the euphoria that was felt after the 2002 elections has now deteriorated to the shambles of the pre-referendum campaigns. Weep, Laugh, Give a Dog a Bone!

Trials & Tribulations of a Freshly Arrived Denzian remembers the first President of Ghana, the late Kwame Nkrumah who led Africa and Ghana on the road to independence

As the islands of Cozumel and Islas Mujeres evacuate in preparation for Wilma, Taran Rampersad wonders if more can't be done on the technological side to ensure communication with those effected.