Global Voices Online

Francis Wade writes a thoughtful post on Jamaica's “greatest export” — the country's “creative class”.

Will Grenada be ready to host six matches during the cricket World Cup in 2007? YingYang offers her views, with photos.

Zenia pays tribute (ES) to a great Cuban invention: the “bicitaxi”. “A ride in a bicitaxi can be very folkloric, as en route the passenger can get the latest news on black market prices, the quality of electrical goods. . . .”

Chapinadas weighs the pros and cons of three Canadian Mining companies looking for uranium near Chiquimula, Guatemala.

Cayblogger takes a politician to task for implying that expatriate managers are preventing the advancement of locals.

Pigeontoes is disheartened by a trip to a public elementary school in Quito, Ecuador.

A claim made by indigenous people from Dominica and Guyana on Barbados' Culpepper Island leaves Titilayo puzzled.

A note from an English subscriber inspires Linda to write about the ties between Colonial Barbados and America before and during the American Revolution.

Aquarelas was introduced to the polyglot Brazilian singer, Bïa by a nifty radio device on the weblog of Michele Aurelio.

Jim Shultz hands over Blog from Bolivia to guest author Christina Haglund who describes a night out in Cochabamba. The post has generated a lot of critical comments regarding Haglund's description of eating chewing coca leaf. Nick Buxton, meanwhile, invites his flatmate, Juliette to post about Carnival in La Paz.

Santiago explains the etymology, social etiquette, and history of that most famous Argentine infusion, mate.

ArubaGirl salutes her home country on the occasion of its 30th anniversary of Status Aparte status vis-à-vis the Netherlands. She also eats some frightening food.

LJ user lipski writes (RUS) that two groups of around 1,000 people total remain on the square: one group guards the electricity generator and audio equipment, another is by the tents. People who are leaving the square individually, not in groups, are said to be arrested outside the square.

br23 blog reports hundreds of riot police units stationed in the backyards of the buildings adjacent to Oktyabrskaya Sq. The protesters, however, are determined to stay “until the new election date is set, in July.” LJ user samuel_smith writes (RUS) that cars with drinking water and food for the protesters are kept from parking at the square by the police. LJ user agafon_bel writes (RUS) that Aleksandr Milinkevich's two sons were detained by police and almost charged with petty hooliganism, but when the police colonel learned who they were, he not just let them go but gave them a ride to the square.

LJ user maty has posted (RUS) March 20 photos from Oktyabrskaya Sq. More to be posted soon.

LJ user maty reports (BEL): “Milinkevich has had negotiations with the police. The police has allowed people to stay at the square. People are chanting “Police With the People” and are setting up tents. Maidan begins.”

LJ user lipski reports (RUS) that the riot police demand to turn off the music playing at the square at 11 p.m.; opposition leaders have agreed. People are still encouraged to spend the night at the square. A representative from Mogilyov said that regional delegations are expected to arrive in Minsk. The protesters have asked Minsk residents to bring warm clothes, food and hot tea and coffee to the ‘tent city.'

Opposition leaders have declared the March 19 election a coup and are demanding to cancel the results, reported lipski (RUS) a while ago. Also, Milinkevich has asked everyone to stay at the square overnight and all day tomorrow.

Xiao Qiang, on China Digital Times, flags an article by Thomas Crampton in the International Herald Tribune on how a new Internet technology, IPv6, will make life even easier for the Chinese government to monitor what its citizens are doing on-line. Crampton is also a guest-blogger on Joi It’s blog.

The problem in Jordan that there are a few corporations can afford to spend on Advertising, such as telecommunications companies. And it’s the only corporations who move the Advertising in Jordan and make the competition stronger and open the door for agencies to show and develop their work.

Even though the advertising in Middle East is still young and still growing year by year, the advertising agencies in Jordan proved that they can be part of this growing and compete with others, Ibrahim Owais said.

It has been three years since ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom' began and for three years we debated whether the decision was right or wrong and until this moment we have different feelings and opinions about where this operation brought us and where its aftermaths are going to lead us.
… The change began then, at that moment where reason mixed with sentiments; were we free…or, were we lost? Mohammed asked.

God, I hate this whole way of marriage here in Oman. Or the Gulf. Or the ME. Wherever its practiced.

HOW can somebody just decide they want to marry someone by only looking at them and hearing a few good things about them? HOW can these girls actually believe that someone really loves them and wants them just from THAT? Samyah wonders.

Amal the poor Egyptian peasant from Kalyoubia was the first human victim in Egypt to be infected by H5N1 and die from the deadly virus , something that must put the whole country whether the people or the government in an alert state. This diseaster opens 1000 doors of chambers of problems in Egypt from Economics to health to socail to…, Zeinobia said.

Angry Chinese Blogger writes a long analysis of China’s fledgling animation industry, noting a new initiative to stimulate domestic talent in a market that is largely dominated by foreign imports.

LJ user samuel_smith reports (RUS): people are leaving because it's cold; a Ukrainian LJ user advises to put something underneath the tents to make them warmer - on the photos, the tents appear to be on the bare ground; a bell is ringing; speakers at the rally include a head of Norwegian Liberal Party and an observer from Russia who was detained by the KGB and almost thrown out of the country.

Thirty-one days after her AIDS activist husband Hu Jia goes missing, presumed detained, his wife Zeng Jinyan uses her blog as a platform to appeal to everyone to keep asking the question: “Where is Hu Jia?”. She writes a letter to her National People's Congress municipal delegate for Beijing, Wu Qing, and (ZH) wakes up to find that both telephone lines in the couple's home have been cut off, temporarily, it seems.

Japundit shows off its list of Japan-related Web links, including one for the National Archives, and discovers a somewhat less serious approach to Japanese culture, at Ask A Ninja.

According to LJ user l_u_f_t (RUS), people from the regions are beginning to arrive and five tents have been set up at Oktyabrskaya Sq. already. LJ user samuel-smith writes (RUS) that “there's a ring around the tents. People surround them so that the police couldn't take them away. From time to time, plainclothes officers approach the people and tell them something. […] Cups with hot coffee are being distributed.” He's also posted a picture of the tents. LJ user lipski wrote half an hour ago (RUS) that there were now Georgian flags at the square, in addition to Ukrainian, and that people were coming and going, and there are approximately 5,000-6,000 there now.

Even as India's presence on the IT map gets stronger, Bangalore's infrastructure gets worse. Scenes from the street from India's IT capital.

What kind of protests end up grabbing the media's attention? Vikrum on the visibility of some high-profile protets.

SriPost has a roundup of what Sri Lankan bloggers have been talking about for the past week.

imperfect world 2006 brings to light a case study on forced marriages in the context of UK. - “The UK government is currently injecting some energy in bringing to light these human rights abuses through their Forced Marriage Unit.”

Shirazi responds to a questionnaire on blogging in Pakistan, and provides answers to questions on the Pakistani blogosphere, the future for Pakistani bloggers and a comparison with blogs from elsewhere.

LJ user lipski reports (RUS) from Oktyabrskaya Sq. in Minsk for the second night in a row: weather's good; the square's not blocked; politically active young people decided not to set up a ‘tent city' because officials have allegedly confiscated 1,500 tents, but there are plans to put up their own tents, tomorrow or the day after; many flags, including Ukrainian and the EU; many journalists; cars are honking in solidarity; sound is good today - lipski stands across the square from the stage and hears everything; 6,000-7,000 people and this is probably it; tried to put up a tent, but two cops came up and took it away.

A Worm's Perspectives… praises the Malaysian government's decision to use some of the money saved from slashing the fuel subsidy to set up a fund to develop public transportation.

Howie's Sidetrip talks about old pictures of Epifanio de Los Santos Avenue, or EDSA, a major Manila urban artery on which the country's 1986 People Power Revolution was played out. Not that long ago, EDSA skirted rural rice fields. Now it passes by malls and skyscrapers.

bobafett81 has pictures of the arrest in Singapore of an animal-rights activist dressed as a bear during Queen Elizabeth's visit to the city-state. The activist had been protesting the ceremonial use of bearskin hats by Buckingham Palace guards. Mr. Wang guesses what charges the bear might expect.

Bangkok Pundit has some thoughts on the international media's coverage of the protests in Thailand against PM Thaksin Shinawatra.

R. Streitmatter-Tran comments on how the IMF thinks it will take two centuries for Vietnam to catch up with Singapore.

Belarusans living abroad rallied on Sunday, March 19, demanding fair and democratic election in their country. br23 posts links to his pictures from the protest in Prague. Andrei Khrapavitski posts pictures from the NYC protest taken by LJ user wolny - who in his turn (BEL) links to some more NYC photos as well as those from the evening rally in Minsk.

The Opposite End of China notes a recent report from the official Xinhua news agency about the resettlement of around 700 families in the environs of the Tarim River, whose water levels are falling dramatically.

ESWN rounds up and translates a post from Hong Kong schoolteacher Miss Lee in Summer, who took a photo of the Tiananmen tank hero to class, only to discover that most of her students thought it was taken in Iraq.

Chinese Law Prof highlights a reader's comment on the subject of academic plagiarism in Chinese universities, which cites a recent analysis by Prof. Gong Renren of the Beijing University Law School. Much of the problem hinges around the fact that pay and benefits packages are linked to the number of articles published, with little regard for their quality.

While President Preval wishes to dissolve the Haitian army for good, a recent commission would like to resurrect it. AyitiCherieConnexion weighs in (FR) with an analysis of the Haitian army's historical role as a repressive tool for presidents. AyitiCherie concludes however that since Haiti's neighbor the Dominican Rep. has an army of 44,000, Haiti would be irresponsible to prioritize other needs while neglecting national security. Except, that is, if “[t]he D.R. disarms too!!!”

Danwei picks up on an article in the English-language China Daily newspaper, which begins: “China has launched a national campaign to enhance its capability for innovation. But experts advise that does not mean China always has to be the original inventor.” Also, the paper is looking for editorial staff, notes Jeremy Goldkorn.

In Odu to da Iwa, Jangbalajugbu-Homeland Stories introduces readers to Oduduwa..”Oduduwa is regarded as the progrenitor of the Yoruba race. In one of the stories of creation, Oduduwa is said to have descended from the heavens via a chain let down to Ile Ife, Odùduwà brought with him a chicken, some soil in a snail shell and a calabash.”

African Shirts posts on the progress of Nigeria's atheletes particiapating in the Commonwealth Games.…”I nominate Segun Moses Toriola for president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He's at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, representing Nigeria in table tennis, where he's defending the singles title he won in 2002″

Curious continues his series of posts on racism and immigration in Europe and America. The latest is a short piece on what “governments do to integrate immigrant communities” in the Netherlands, US and Britian….

Video Journalist and You Missed This both report on the Armenian mercenary story that is making news in Kenya.

Mehedeya also commenting on an Ethiopia related report this time from the Economist which finally turns the heat on Meles.... “It is hard, for instance, to find any educated Ethiopian, even in the government, who really believes opposition leaders were plotting “genocide” against the ethnic Tgreans, the group from which Mr. Meles comes.”

Ethiopundit comments on a recent Reuters report that Ethiopia could end extreme poverty if it continued it's 7% economic growth of the past three years. .”The Ethiopian government's style of 7% growth would have to be sustained for several centuries of ‘decades' to pull off that trick. Too bad none of this makes sense except as a bit of what can only be understood as an altogether successful cooperative propaganda effort.”

Black Star Journal reports on Liberia's formal request to Nigeria to extradite Charles Taylor so he can stand trial in Liberia

Shooting Dogs comes under scrutiney by Molara Wood - “Part-funded by the BBC, the film places the broadcasting corporation's journalists in the centre of the action and in the words of some, portrays them as the heros. But those who were there at the time remember things differently, and that's just the beginning of it.”

Cherryflava goes to the South African blog awards and comes away with an assortment of blogs posts that speak for themselves.