Global Voices Online

“Now before you gay advocates out there start posting hateful comments, understand that Jamaica is a very conservative country,” says Leon, in defense of the anti-Brokeback Mountain outcry in Jamaica.

“With one long “stchuuuuup” and you eyes looking thin and mean, you can cut a big man down to li’l boy size,” writes Guyana-gyal in her treatise on the Caribbean art of sucking teeth.

Got your snake oil? Just in time for the official start of Trinidad & Tobago's Carnival on February 27, Attillah Springer makes a list of Carnival necessities. She also posts photos of old-time Carnival and the reenactment of the Canboulay Riots of the 1880s.

Le Blog du Congolais reports (FR) that a long awaited report on mining contracts signed during the Congolese civil war which ended in June 2003 was finally made available to the country's deputies in the past week or so. The report recommends 1) that several contracts be revoked or renegotiated because they defraud the Congolese state; 2) that several national and international companies be investigated for violating Congolese law; 3) that 17 persons involved with the contracts be indicted for various crimes including money laundering. Le Blog adds that the report is available online.

Barbados Free Press has it from “a confidential source” that “British and South African intelligence agencies and counter-terror units are to play major planning and operational roles in providing security for the 2007 Cricket World Cup” (which is being hosted by several Caribbean territories). The same source says, however, that “offers of U.S. assistance are being under-utilized because of anti-American bias by Caribbean leadership.”

On the occasion of Florida governor Jeb Bush's visit to the Bahama, Bahama Pundit offers an overview of Bush's achievements and some foreign policy suggestions for the Bahamas leadership.

With the Indian Railway Budget having hit the floors - Dateline Bombay has a post on the train connectivity between various important urban centres.

Peter of neweurasia reports on the Turkmen government's strange spending priorities.

JJ reports on skiing in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, which is claimed to be the best in Central Asia.

Rupen at Life in the Armenian Diaspora writes on preparing for a protest at the Azeri embassy and in front of UNESCO in Ottawa.

Onnik Krikorian takes a look at blogs from South Azerbaijan, the ethnic Azeri region of Iran.

Samudaya.org has an interview with “Samrat Upadhyay is the author of the short story collections Arresting God in Kathmandu and The Royal Ghosts, and the novel The Guru of Love. He is the recipient of the annual Whiting Writers’ Award. “

Boz has released his now infamous Friday poll numbers from around Latin America. Tim Muth breaks down the numbers in El Salvador which show the two main parties, FMLN and ARENA running neck to neck. Jon at PostHegemony gives more background context to the differences between the FMLN and ARENA.

One one things on the move from Sri Lanka to London - and how the latter grows on one with its culture and people.

Pareshaan spends an evening listening to a Muslim cleric speak to a predominantly Christian audience and observes - “I wondered whether the strangeness of Hindus was the only way to bring Christians and Muslims together. This is the first time I have ever heard the word Hindu spoken in the University and it did not come up for a purpose I would have approved of.”

Mahamoor.com on the peace talks in Geneva - “Peace talks start in Geneva today, between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the LTTE.” outlines the various perspectives on the process.

Peruvian leftist presidential candidate, Ollanta Humala explained at a recent press conference that he would accept homosexuals to serve on his cabinet says Andres Duque. Fabiola Bazo has more details from the press conference in a bilingual post that brings up a tense moment between Humala and a journalist who satirized his wife.

Cambodia-based blogger and cartoonist Jinja reports on a meeting he set up with Malaysian bloggers on his trip to Kuala Lumpur. “We also chew over the idea that we should have some more exchange within Southeast Asia. Maybe a regional portal, or a Cambodia/Malaysia blogger exchange? Most of us have our laptops with us so we're busy showing sites we've cached or recommend.”

Yosef Ardi reflects on the long involvement of U.S. mining company Freeport McMoran in Indonesian politics. Freeport, which operated a massive mine — the largest copper and gold mine in the world — in Irian Jaya (now West Papua) province, is shutting down its operations.

The scandal involving a Singapore student's taped sexual adventures spread on the Internet continues to draw comment. Singapore's A Worm's perspective talks about the dangers of modern technology, while Life is Just from Malaysia has similar thoughts: “The internet is growing ever so gracefully.”

caffeine sparks rereads a historical account of pre-colonial servitude in the Philippines and reaches her own conclusions that something was going on that was more complex than “slavery” as commonly understood: “If master-slave live in one house and eat the same food, can one conclude that the master-slave relation is a complete misnomer? “

At Singapore's Sayoni Speak, Sheila Rajamanikam describes what it's like being a transsexual: “I wish people around me could accept both parts of me: in a shaved head, packing, male looking body as well as a sari clad jewellery wearing one.”

Le Bao Tuan of Sticky Rice experiences “architecture shock” visiting Phu My Hung, a booming planned community built on a former swamp south of Saigon. He writes: “Phu My Hung is an evidence proves Vietnamese economy is developing quickly and Vietnamese people are trying to approach the more modern and more civilized lifestyle.”

As the talks on the future of Kosovo have begun in Vienna, Balkan Update sums up the history of the conflict and looks at the possible outcome and the future of this Serbian province seeking independence.

David McDuff of A Step At A Time has translated a report about a Ukrainian woman's recent self-immolation attempt as a way to protest her Chechen husband's imminent deportation to Russia.

Dan McMinn of Orange Ukraine shares some valuable political commentary from one of his favorite sources: his Ukrainian mother-in-law.

Stefan of Dykun continues with his Ukrainian grandmother's story: how the languages and dialects Baba Omaha can speak - Ukrainian Poltava and Ukrainian Galician, Polish, Czech, Russian, German and Belarusian - reflect her life experiences. The Ranger of NVASHAG tells of his Ukrainian mother-in-law: Babushka Maria is turning 70 next week and has seen a lot, too, but can't talk about it because a wartime childhood illness left her deaf and mute.

Adefunke on Adfunke gives us an insight into a Lagos wedding shower which included karaoke, a question and answer session between the bride to be and friends “how did ya’ll meet’?, ‘are you a moaner, commentator or silent observer” advice on sex and of course lots of good food.

You Missed This reports that the Kenyan government has used an old colonial law to charge the entire staff of the “Weekly Citizen with publishing an alarming report. All 11 of them — the accountants, the messengers, the whole lot.

Inside Somaliland posts an article on the African Union accepting the split of Somaliland.…….Hopes of recognition for Somali-land’s 15-year independence have been raised by the favourable report of an African Union mission that visited the territory last year.”

LEvko at Foreign Notes writes about ‘Gangs of Donetsk' and what appears to be a criminal connection of a major Ukrainian party.

Kikuyumoja’s realm post some videos of Ugandan rappers “the next generation in Uganda“

Ethiopundit comments on the illusions being portrayed by the government of Meles Zenawi..”Another set of illusions being projected by the government has to do with how allegedly well the economy is doing under Meles Inc. ownership and how aid is therefore not a big deal.@

Rwandan Survivors publishes “An account of massacre & Problems with reconciliation“……..”There are still people with such bestial hearts; people who killed. You can tell they would do it again. Reconciliation is not the problem. The problem is that those who killed, ate our cattle and took our things run away from us.@

Bankelele complains about the increasing harassment in the name of revenue collection that is taking place in Nairobi.…”

Nigerian blogger in London, Silent Storms in an Ocean of One comments on racism in Britain through his own personal experience.

African Immigrants reporting from Australia writes that the Australian government is demanding the new immigrants accept Aussie values.….”He has bluntly warned the radical Muslims and other migrants to respect the laws and liberties of the Australian nation or lose their right to citizenship.”

Gbenga of Oro reports on “Nigeria Rocks” which will discuss “Global Process, Local Reality: Nigerian Youth Lead Action in the Information Society@

Moral Fibre reports on the brutal murder of South African lesbian Zoliswa Nkonyana. 6 men have now been arrested - “the only apparent motive is homophobia.”

The Imperfect poet finally manages to crack the glass ceiling of poetry publication………….”I finally recorded some poetry for a poetry video concept that I am working on with a friend of mine. Thanks to Kurt & e-poets, I have finally done something and, in doing so, remembered why creativity is such a beautiful thing. Beyond the materialism and the trivial is creativity that feeds the heart and inspires the soul”