Global Voices Online

Radio Kiskeya lists (FR) noteworthy events taking place in Haiti this week including the following. Monday: President-elect Rene Preval's visit to Canada; the closing of Port-au-Prince's culinary fair in honor of International Labor and Agriculture Day; the city of Jacmel's annual celebration; a pro-Aristide march organized by the former president's supporters. Wednesday: Presses Nationales' [National Press] re-release of 34 Haitian literary titles originally published between 1836 and 2006. Friday: proclamation of legislative election results.

Certain government bureaucrats are being investigated for trafficking fake immigration papers, says (FR) Bien Vu. “Once more a group of well-to-do people is under scrutiny. Faced with their dishonesty, we have to ask whether a committee is needed to oversee certain government posts,” concludes the blogger.

Guyanese Muslim blogger Qays offers an Islamic interpretation of the breakdown of the rule of law in Guyana.

Andrew Allen defends his belief that “colonial baggage” inhibits development in the Bahamas, arguing that while quaint colonial vestiges such as the image of the British monarch on the country's currency may appear harmless, “far more pernicious is our tendency to suppress the growth of genuine local institutions and our related tendency to stigmatise the appearance of local ideas and value systems that could support such institutions. “

Brand New Malaysian is asking readers to blog and let others know about the politician who insulted single mothers by referring to them as “being horny”. He uttered this word while debating the issue of aid to single mothers in Malaysian parliament. Eventually, protests by other lawmakers attending the session forced the politician to take back the word.

Martin Manurang on his Change blog has a post on May day rallies in Indonesia and other countries in the region. Protesters joined rallies in large numbers in Cambodia, The Phillipines and Thailand too.

Female workers at clothing store Minimum Maximod won a protracted strike to improve working conditions says (FR) Bien Vu. But their boss refuses to honor the agreement he signed during negotiations and has fled to France. “The women remain without salary or back pay,” says the blogger. “What are labor inspectors doing? What should we make of … these bureaucrats who lay low so as not make too much noise and risk getting fired?”

As a follow up to the Blank Noise (Against Street Harassment) Blogathon, the project presents a powerful audio piece on street violence and harassment. (Trigger: Violence, Gender Violence)

Lily in Jakarta remembers Pramoedya Ananta Toer, one of Indonesia's most famous writer and political activist. The writer passed away on Sunday in Jakarta.

Recursive Hypocrisy hosts the Scian Melt - All things science.

Susan reports on participating in a unique protest in Tbilisi.

Luke Distelhorst notes that many in the media still use the term “Outer Mongolia” to refer to modern Mongolia despite the term referring to pre-1911 Chinese-controlled Mongolia.

Lanka Page recaps the rounds of discussion in Geneva so far between LTTE and the Sri Lankan government, providing the context of escalating conflict and violence.

Notes from Hareinik writes about May Day and the comeback of its celebration in Armenia.

neweurasia reports on Islamic finance in Central Asia.

Ahmede Hussain has a feature on women and issues they face in the workforce in Bangladesh.

Onnik Krikorian has a roundup of posts in the Armenian blogosphere.

Rezwan links to Change Bangladesh, an online project, and provides the context for the need for such a project - “Among other things ‘Change Bangladesh' is in the process of creating a ‘how to' guide for voters and a tool using which all Bangladeshis connected to the web will be able to check up on certain aspects of a running candidate for national or local elections.”

Writing from Venezuela, both Miguel Octavio and Daniel Duquenal fear for Peru's political future. Un Lobo en Peru inspires some interesting comments with a post about the Peruvian government's decision to withdraw the ambassador to Venezuela. Maxwell Cameron of the University of British Columbia, meanwhile, says that presidential candidate Alan Garcia is framing the second round of elections as a “choice between Chavez and Peru.” Lastly, but far from least, Gran Combo Club has two (ES) phenomenal posts (ES) covering bloggers' reactions to the creeping influence of Evo Morales and Hugo Chavez in the Peruvian elections.

Boz comments on the exaggerated reactions to a clarification of Mexico's legal code regarding drugs. He labels the new policy a “step forward for Mexico's legal system,” but adds that “it's unlikely to have major effects on the country's drug problem.” Dr. Steven Taylor, however, argues that legalizing the possession of small amounts of some substances, “frees up police and other officials to focus on bigger time criminals and also frees up jail space (and therefore money).”

EastSouthWestNorth blogger Roland Soong translates a humorous post and compares political jokes in the former Soviet Union with those found in China today. The verdict: “[T]he Chinese people are not humorless. Rather, their humor demonstrably come through in more subtle ways.”

n8ma blogger Nathan Madsen has no kind words for those who would downplay the importance of democracy in Hong Kong, mainland China and even America.

World Wide Help has the very latest on an earthquake that hit Northern Chile late last night. Chiriqui Chatter was also shaken awake this morning in Northern Panama.

Outside In blogger finds irony in what the week-long holiday surrounding International Workers Day has become in China: “The great international communist holiday has morphed into one grand frenzy of unabashed consumerism. LONG LIVE THE WORKERS. WHAT'S ON SALE AT IKEA?”

Joshua at The Korea Liberator blogs on a North Korean political prisoner who was executed this past weekend, and then two posts from James Na on the meager turnout at a North Korea Freedom Day rally held in Washington DC just three days later.

Julio Sueco, a Mexican blogger living in Sweden says that the Spanish version of the Star Spangled Banner isn't his cup of manzanilla tea.

China Challenges posts on what might just be the Chinese authorities' first step towards taking responsibility for 1989's Tiananmen Square massacre.

Elspeth visits Carrera, Trinidad & Tobago's prison island and writes about it at The Pan Collective: “not that I mean to romanticise or trivialise the experience of prison on the island in any way (with all due respect to the prisoners), but arriving there on the Coast Guard boat, it felt as though we were arriving at a resort. . . .”

Nyashazasha at The Global Parish reproduces an article by the president of the Belize Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (BSCAP) outlining the copyright regulations soon to come into effect in Belize. The article foresees some resistance from the public to the idea of paying licensing fees.

Blogging translates into a job offer for Abeni in St. Vincent, but alas–she refuses. “I don't want writing to feel like a chore,” she says.

In ‘We Hate Art and Like Nothing Interesting‘, Supernaut Frances D'Ath blogs on a recent ongoing crackdown on artwork at Beijing's Dashanzi art district:

“An apoplectic, insane hatred born of a class of people whose sole aim in life is promulgating a dictatorship of smallness, meanness, and a spiteful programme to rid the world of colour and life. Whatever freedom artists in China (and elsewhere) have to make the sort of work that would probably see them in prison in some other countries (like Xiaoyu's Ruan), it always exists at the pleasure of knee-jerk morality and whims of the government and other ruling classes.”

Zeinobia of ‘Egyptian Chronicles' explains the motives of the Egyptian government to ask the Parliament for approval to re-new the decayed Emergence law. “…they need it to stop any attempt of the civilian organization and the judges for the Quest of a real democratic life , they need it to shut up any newspaper that exposes any corruption in the country , they need it to prison anyone they want in anytime they want for any charge they want and definitely they need it more than anything to pave the way for the Republic Monarchy where GM takes the republic crown for his old dad just like in our twin Sister Syria,” she said.

A Yahya challenge any bank operating out of the UAE to clearly explain in layman’s terms how their financial packages are in fact Islamic. While you all talk about investing back into the community with various schemes from saving the whales to the nationalization of your work force you still believe it is ok to lie to your customers in order to swindle them out of their money, A Yahya said.

Journalist and academic Cherian Geoge wonders if the Singapore government is easing up on mainstream media's coverage of elections while blogger Xialanxue does not think so.

Dương Lam Anh at Virtual Doug observes his mom's buying habits and discovers there is more to bargaining than just to get the price reduced.

Alterpresse published (kreyol) a press release by GARR, a Haitian committee of support to refugees and the repatriated, which supports today's immigrant strike and boycott in the US. “The same situation is developing in the Dominican Republic for many Haitian workers there, says GARR's Martine Dorvilas. While D.R. government representatives have met repeatedly with American officials in defense of their undocumented citizens there, that same government continues repatriating Haitian workers who have contributed to the Dominican economy for decades … GARR asks D.R.'s government to give Haitian workers who have lived in the D.R. for more than 10 years residency.”

The chief of the controversial electoral commission, Rev. Malu Malu, will be in New York City today to speak about “The Future of Democracy and the Rebuilding of a Nation-State: The Democratic Republic of Congo” at The Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, 7pm. UDPS is organizing a protest of the event, says (FR) UDPS Liege. (More venue details in post.)

Breaking hearts in the heart of darkness reports on a recent field trip to the Katanga province in the South East of the DRC writing that the region has received no humanitarian assistance despite large numbers of displaced people, sexual exploitation of women by militias and the Congolese army.

Timbuktu Chronicles reports on a new aqua technology, Aquaponics…”.Aquaponics is the integration of aquaculture and hydroponics. Aquaculture, the growing of fish, hydroponics the growing of vegetables/plants in controlled conditions, utilizing specialized growing mediums and nutrients”

Au Lait writes about the recent comment by a Kenyan member of parliament during the debate on the Sexual Offences Bill that when women say no they mean yes.….”We (yes we women) are not going to stand your braindead, chauvinistic disrespect for women. Y'all better look for a time travel machine and transport your sorry asses to 1729 or thereabouts.”

Bankekele has advice on how to travel to his home town in Kenya, what you need to take with you and what to expect once you arrive…”

Carpe Diem Ethiopia post an open letter from Birtukan Mideksa to the US ambassador, Vicki Huddleston. He comments “Judge Bertukan’s disgust with the U.S. Ambassador’s duplicity, however, is a searing indictment of the neocon dilemma: support for governments that repress their people but are declared allies in the U.S.-led war against terrorism. Judge Birtukan’s epistle, like Martin Luther King’s, ends with her repeated hope that a bright future awaits her followers and her nation.”

Yebo Gogo reports on an exchange of words between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former SA president, De Klerk….”Archbishop Desmond Tutu said South Africa's whites aren't appreciative of the actions the country's black community took after the fall of apartheid. Former apartheid president FW de Klerk said blacks need to recognize the sacrifices made by whites”

Agodi News points to an interview with Nigerian author and playright, Wole Soyinka on Democracy Now…” A Blot on the Conscience of the World.“

Meskel Square reports on a meeting in Ethiopia between “four pastoralist groups from as far afield as Somali region” and leaders of the main UN agencies working in the country. “The main topics of conversation were the drought and the need for greater official recognition of all of Ethiopia's pastoralist groups. Apparently Ethiopia's last regime under Mengistu dismissed many of them as “wanderers”, (maybe in the same way that Europe currently marginalises its ‘gypsies' and ‘travelers'). The current government was doing much better, they said. But some wanted still more - a minister of pastoralist affairs for example.”

Sudan: The Passion of the Present reports on yesterday's demonstrations in the US against the genocide in Darfur. “They protested a civil war in which the Sudanese government and its proxies have killed about 200,000 people in Darfur, in that nation's south, and driven an estimated 2.5 million people from their homes, according to the United States government. A pro-government Arab militia, the janjaweed, have systematically raped women and killed or maimed children and destroyed villages, displacing millions.”

David McDuff of A Step At A Time writes about Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's latest public statement, in which “his anti-Western and anti-democratic position is clearly outlined for all to see.”

Michael of The Glory of Carniola writes about one drawback of Slovenia's new promo commercial to be aired on CNN: “The video is beautifully done and I tip my hat to everyone involved, with the exception of those responsible for the awkward slogan: ‘A diversity to discover.'”

br23 blog writes about edit wars constantly taking place at Wikipedia's Belarusian history pages: “This continuing butchering of the articles about Belarus by Russians on English Wikipedia also ruined my trust in the Wikipedia as a whole. Now, I have to confess, I don’t go to Wikipedia anymore to read about political or historical events, and only go to Wikipedia when I need to check something on natural sciences (biology, archeology, physics, math…)”

Jeremy Jewett of Hungarian Goulash comes up with “the ABCs of a Spring Break in Croatia”: “The stories of a spring break well-spent in the northern-half of the former Yugoslavia will be told alphabetically, chunked into a little tale or nugget of wisdom beginning with the letters A through Z.”

Becca of p3 compares her experience of getting registered Brussels to that of getting registered in Poland: “Brussels take note: Poland is well known for its inability to carry out the simplest procedure without metres and metres of red tape. If they can sort my paperwork for me in just a couple of brief visits with zero problems, you have no excuse.”

The beatroot discusses the coalition-building process in Poland, nearly eight months after the general election: “Will this charade ever end? A coalition has just been signed, but it’s 19 votes short of a parliamentary majority. Which means, if my meager mathematics is correct, that this is no coalition at all.”

Bored in Brno writes about child prostitution in the Czech Republic and how it is being ignored by the local media.

Farjami (Persian) criticized the wealthiest journal in country, Ettelaat. He says Ettelaat with tens of buildings and hundreds of workers has a useless site and its paper journal's graphic is scandalous. Blogger adds all this public money poured in this journal is just throwing it in a well. He says some reformists back journal by saying its editor who has been a deputy in Parliament , never got his deputy's salary. Blogger says point is not he gets a huge salary or not. Point is productivity and quality of this journal. He qualifies Ettelaat a beloved dead.