Global Voices Online

It's the event that Peruvian bloggers have been waiting for says “Leuzor:” the next bloggers meetup, which will take place on Saturday, March 25th in Lima. From the comments, it looks like it will be a big party.

neweurasia covers the debate over whether or not to celebrate the first anniversary of Kyrgyzstan's Tulip Revolution. The debate also encompasses whether or not what took place can even rightly be called a revolution.

Christian Garbis explains how it is that trade with Turkey flourishes despite it being illegal and complaints about low-quality Turkish products.

Registan.net has news of a rooster in Kyrgyzstan's city of Osh that reportedly says “Allah” over and over again. The chicken is credited with turning at least a few people toward increased worship.

James of neweurasia says that economic incentives may be behind the rise in Central Asia's snow leopard population. Their numbers, though, are still dangerously low.

Just because one leads a nomadic life doesn't mean one should suffer poor television reception. Shards of Mongolia writes that reception stands to get much better for Mongolia's nomads soon.

Nick Buxton and Oscar Reyes will be blogging live from the World Water Forum in Mexico. Joe Zacune gives historical context to the forum on OpenDemocracy.

Robert Wright explains that he hasn't been posting is usual collections of Buenos Aires stencil graffiti lately because the pickings have been slim. So instead, some stencil graffiti from Mendoza.

Fernando Casale has an update (and some sample tracks) of the Argentine-Brazilian band Mundialmente. If you like their music, send them an email says Casale.

Miguel Octavio sarcastically wishes a happy birthday to “the amazing Gonzalez family.” He's referring to the nearly 2000 registered voters with the last name Gonzalez who were born on the same day, 32 years ago in the he western state of Zulia. Unbelievably, when Steven Dudley and Phil Gunson randomly called a dozen Gonzálezes out of the phonebook, “two said they were indeed celebrating birthdays Wednesday,” though neither was turning 32. Daniel Duquenal, meanwhile, takes a look at the newly released final report by the European Union on Venezuela's electoral process.

Israel acts not just with absolute impunity, but with the support of western powers: that is the message that has been reinforced in Jericho, Laila El-Haddad said. See her full article in the Guardian's new Comment is Free blog.

Middle Eastern audiences are literally disconnected from the rest of the world and the rest of their countrymen. Less than four per cent of people in the Arab world are internet users, according to ITU data. The penetration rate is just 3.7% - in a region with an 8.59% penetration in landline subscribers, and 14.51% in mobile subscribers, Lebanon said.

The Highlander hopes that the Saudi government and greedy businessmen do not ‘misplace' or deliberately destroy their heritage.

Ahmed post more video clips from Al Jazeera Forum, and post a link to letter from Reporters Without Borders to King Abdullah.

ESWN has translated a transcript of a conversation between top Taiwan choreographer Lin Huai-min (of “Cloud Gate” fame) and the publisher of the pro-KMT United Daily News Wang Shiao-lan. Lin is disappointed at the paper's political positioning and the poverty of coverage, especially of culture.

The Opposite End of China has another helping of Uyghur pop video, this time featuring Mominjan Ablekim, the prince of Uyghur pop.

China Information Center reports that Guangdong-based human rights lawyer Guo Feixiong has been taken back to his hometown in the eastern province of Jiangxi by the authorities in an apparent attempt to keep him from carrying out sensitive rights work, and to separate him from Beijing-based lawyer Gao Zhisheng, with whom he took part in a relay hunger strike to protest official abuses of power.

Joi Ito announces his appointment to the board of WITNESS, a group which aims to advance human rights advocacy through the use of video and communications technology, and strengthen grassroots movements for change by providing video technology and assisting its partners to use video as evidence before courts and the United Nations, as a tool for public education, and as a deterrent to further abuse.”

Back from the NPC, Asia Pundit looks forward to mashup camp in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, where a bunch of prominent bloggers are due to meet to discuss Search Engine Strategies and Web 2.0, drink beer and play with model airplanes(ZH).

The Peking Duck Pond has a discussion thread on attempts to “vaccinate” Chinese schoolchildren against corruption at an early age, with special educational sessions addressing the temptations of power.

Non-violent Resistance points to a reappearance of China Digital Times via Feedburner, after reporting it as unavailable in China earlier in the week.

On 14 March 2006 Israeli forces raided Jericho prison and arrested PFLP militant leader Ahmad Saadat. The military wing of the popular front threatened to respond to the Israeli operation.

Laila el-Haddad from Raising Yousuf took some pictures of Palestinian security forces made to strip down to their underwear by Israeli troops and captivated.

Singapore Entrepreneurs has some thoughts about meritocracy and entrepreneurship, and how many Singaporeans have traded their passions and risk-taking in exchange for social stability.

Dean Alfar at notes from the peanut gallery argues for the Philippine opposition's right to be heard.

Jeff Ooi at Screenshots has been following a health scare in Malaysia and Singapore over contact lens solution that is apparently causing blinding fungal infections in people's eyes. The trail starts here.

A New York Times writer Googles the word “negrocrat” and finds Barbados Free Press's reference to Prime Minister Owen Arthur's use of the term — naturally, BFP blogs about it.

The Bookmann posts a few photos and a short description of day before yesterday's opening of an exhibition of drawings by Trinidadian Carnival designer Peter Minshall.

Francomenz calls for a pollution hotline to help alleviate Trinidad's air quality problem.

Taran Rampersad posts Part One of his “Guidelines for Implementing Technology In Any Enterprise”, which will eventually be published as an e-book.

Jakartass discusses a US$8.5 million grant to Indonesia to produce a local version of the American children's show Sesame Street.

KI Media translates from Khmer an article in the Cambodian media reporting a voodoo session organized by local politicians to exorcise devils believed to be living in a royal palace.

Languor Management reports on the exhibit that has opened in New York's Ukrainian Museum on March 12: “The Ukrainian Museum is commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster with this multi-media exhibition that explores the accident's impact on the lives of residents in the territories of Ukraine most heavily contaminated by radioactive fallout.”

Stefan at Dykun writes about pre-election politics in the town of Pidhajtsi and posts a few pictures of his favorite city, Odesa.

LEvko and Scott W. Clark of Foreign Notes further examine the murky world of Ukraine's pre-election politics: election campaign heating up; last pre-election opinion polls; Yulia Tymoshenko's conditions for coalition; the president's and prime minister's press conferences; Tymoshenko targeting Yushchenko's voters; and a recent reshuffle at the Ukrainian Security Service.

A Malaysian medical student posts pictures of spring snow in Simferopol, the capital of Ukraine's warmest region, Crimea. Also, there are pictures from another pediatrics class that evolved into “playing run and chase” with Ukrainian kids: “As usual, Fridays give us a multitude of wonderful feeling and joy as we (group 344 and 343) get to mingle with all the ultra cute and ultra pretty kids! :) Generally, Medschool practically sucks the whole life out of you, and this small opportunity kinda gives us the much-needed break that we need.”

This is Zimbabwe reports on the governments decision to “quality test” sanitary towels” that have been donated during an international appeal….”At the moment Zimbabwean women are forced to use newspaper and toilet paper; those in the rural areas are apparently resorting to leaves and tree bark! And apparently this is leading to infections and illnesses.”

Rwandan Survivors continues to publish the testimonies of survivors of the genocide. Here Ndamyina Gisanura speaks “The genocide didn't exactly start in 1994 - we could see signs of it earlier. There were car bombings, students were beaten up; there was a bad atmosphere and it seemed as if something was being planned. But 1994 was the grand finale”

The Fish Bowl comments on what he sees as Patricia de Lille's “selling her soul”. …”Campaigning on the back of a promise of aggressive opposition to the ANC, she colluded with the ANC on a number of major votes leading up to the mayoral race, a decision that has driven a wedge between the ID and its voting electorate.”

Scott W. Clark of Foreign Notes thinks “HBO should start another series on the mob when the Sopranos ends” - about certain individuals posing as Ukrainian paliament members. “Call it, The Verkhovna Rada.”

African Bullets & Honey discusses the notion of order in Kenya and concludes that words like law and order have until now ” weapons against the hopes of most of us. And furthermore, that if we do not begin to question what these concepts mean in the operations of our state, it shall become a monster that serves all the PR needs of babi Nairobi west of Moi Avenue while crushing and oppressing all those east of that famous marker”.

Jangbalajugbu Homeland Stories reports on the closure of his university, Obafemi Awolowo University in Ife during the middle of semester exams.. “Students are to leave the University before 4pm on Sunday. Mobile policemen have already been positioned at the University gate to ensure that students comply with the instruction. By the time you read this, I should be out of the campus too. So sad.”

Human Rights Action calls on 200,000 to stand in for the victims of atrocities in Darfur...”At least two million people have been forced to flee their homes—and are displaced in Sudan or in camps in neighboring Chad. Help us stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves. We are asking you to sign our petition to
call for a U.N. appointed diplomat of the highest international
stature to lead a peace process in Darfur

W. Shedd of The Accidental Russophile writes about Russian billionaires, the death of the Russian village, Russian candies and the somewhat “militant” names of their producers.

At Finding Karadzic, Balkan Ghost cites a letter by “a former western soldier in the Balkans” whose unit failed to capture Radovan Karadzic in 2002.

Doug Muir of A Fistful of Euros continues the debate on Montenegro's independence. (The discussion's beginning is here, part 2 is here.)

Antropologiinfo blog talks about censorship of research in the USA. Blog says” Recently, two articles by teams from the University of Bergen were accepted by prominent US journals and then turned down because, the publishers said, “we cannot publish your paper because the United States government restricts publishers from publishing papers that have an affiliation with the government of Iran. Some of the authors were Iranian citizens”.

With Latvia's parliamentary elections scheduled for October, Aleks of All About Latvia introduces Latvian politicians and examines an ongoing bribery scandal.

Jessica of Life in Moldova writes about financial traps that await unsuspecting foreigners in Moldova.

David McDuff of A Step At A Time pays tribute to Lennart Meri, former president of Estonia, who died on March 14. Links to other blogs commemorating this prominent European statesman are provided.