Global Voices Online

Myanmar blogger at Man Actually takes shares pictures of some attractions and ethnic groups in Myanmar. He says “We can't beat Bangkok for party lovers but we can offer alternative dance parties like in the photos. I am sure they will like the drum beats with our unique rice & fruit based wines. I am sure they will dance their hair down with traditional Kachin Khaung Yay and BBQ feast that they will love to come more.Hey come on. Here we are talking about countless ethnic groups, Shan, Kachin, Kayin , Mon, Rakhine and so on..” .

Antidote to Burnout reviews some of the internet and communication tools he is using to stay in touch with family, friends and business contacts.

According to Bien Vu(Fr), individual Martiniquan taxi drivers have a mind and a pricing all their own: “Sometimes, says the blogger, they do not turn on the meter during the ride and the price of the trip depends on their moods, their preference or quite simply your relationship to them. That provokes, from time to time, legitimate anger from certain clients who object.”

Says (Fr)AlterPresse, “After Skin Deep, a film for which he received numerous distinctions, Haitian-American filmmaker Sacha Parisot is back. But this time it is with the film La Rebelle which made the cut for the Boston International Film Festival (BIFF). Shot in Haiti, La Rebelle is the story of Carl Dubois, a father who worries about his daughter's future.”

Journal Peru tries to make sense of the not-so-clear, new opposition of Peru.

Santiago relates the interesting etymology of everyone's favorite aphrodisiac, chocolate.

Robert Wright wishes Buenos Aires, founded 426 years ago, a very happy birthday.

The Egyptian bloggers are circulating inverted Egyptian flags on their websites and mailing lists. The initiative was launched, it seems, shortly before the May 25 pro-judges demo, but it’s picking up now. Several blogs have posted the picture, Hossam said.

Qwaider wonders: “I'm sure many of you are well aware of the show “Desperate housewives” aired just about everywhere these days. But has any one notices the mushrooming numbers of real desperate Arab housewives out there. Sure it's not as blatant and forward as it is in the west, nevertheless it's growing and at an alarming rate, who do you blame?“

UAE's ISP has blocked UAE community Blog. It's not clear yet what is the reason. A blogger who goes by the name war_in_iran said that: “They maybe the community was having a bad effect “culturally” on the the innocent youth of this great country.”

2,000 Jordanians protested in front of the parliament today, denouncing terrorism and mainly the act of those four IAF (Islamic Action Front) MPs who went to Zarqawi’s funeral to offer their condolences and praise him as a “martyr”, Naseem said.

The comedy of errors continues with the IDF positing various theories about how eight Palestinian beachgoers were blown to smithereens last Friday. At first, the Israeli press and military sources said the most likely explanation was an errant Israeli shell which hit the beach instead of its target 400 meters away. But almost immediately, the press reported that perhaps a Palestinian bombmaker had had a “work accident.” The following day the new theory was that an errant Qassam rocket had hit the beach, Richard Silverstein said. Read the rest of the theories he report.

Arturo de Albornoz wonders if Coca-Cola didn't go too far when they turned several bus stops into (ES) goal post facades (with photos). A few days later, de Albornoz finds out that the Pepsi-owned brand “Gauraná Antarctica” one-upped Coca-Cola by engulfing entire bus stops with life sized goal posts (ES).

Menéame announces with much fanfare (ES) that the Spanish Wikipedia reached 125,000 entries on Friday. Eduardo Arcos documents it's exponential growth in 2006 (ES).

President Arroyo in Philippines suggested doubling the number of students in a class to solve the problem of classroom shortage. Rolly does not agree “Excuse me but is the President that naive? Is this a simple mathematical problem? Why do I sense a famous “eat-cake-because-there=is-no-bread” stance made by a beheaded French queen? No, it may not be as callous but it is just as absurd. Has the President forgotten that when it comes to education, quality is important? For quality to be had, there should be a lesser student to teacher ratio so that the teacher can attend to more students that he/she possibly can.”

Wendy thinks she has the ability to communicate with spirits. “The first time when I was 7. I used to cry and complained that I did not want to go to school. Reason? I used to sit in this dark bicycle shed before school starts. There was always this old man who wears a white turban and white long sleeved shirt and sarong, carrying a walking stick who sits next to me every day and starts talking to me. The eerie thing is that no one has ever seen this man and no one ever sees him sitting next to me.”

Meifon talks about the importance of eating together with family and is proud of her parents who encourage her to be independent.

Jesse of Bored in Brno visits a famous Czech composer's archive (Leos Janacek, “considered among the three most significant Czech composers in the history of this country's music”) and finds it a bit too researcher-unfriendly.

The beatroot writes that the conclusions of the Council of Europe's investigation on whether the CIA had its secret prisons in Poland are not based on strong evidence.

Andy H of Csikszereda Musings writes about a car accident in rural Romania - and how he was blamed for it unjustly: only because he is a foreigner, he thinks.

annabengan of annasblog posts photos from her visit to Skopje, the capital of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and writes about a “bizarre” hotel they stayed in while there.

Srebrenica Genocide Blog reports on a new Serbian song praising the killing of 8,106 Bosniak males that occurred in Srebrenica in July 1995.

Dictionary of the Serbian Mess posts select headlines from back issues of Sluzbeni, “a 62-year-old official gazette of the Yugoslavian (now Serbian) government.” Here's one: “Year 1991, Act 682: Regulation of Yugoslavian standards of ceramic tiles. Somehow somebody somewhere decided it was really important to standardise ceramic tiles in 1991.”

Meaghan of American for Hire gets invited to the wedding of her Serbian friend's friend and reports on the first part of it, which began at the groom's house and included a pair of accordions and a handgun in the groom's bag.

Cvijus011 of Belgrade Blog shares his feelings on the life in Serbia after Montenegro gained its independence: “My personal opinion is that we shouldn't be desparate because others don't want to share the same state with us, but we should now work even harder towards prosperity and show to the others and the world that we are not that bad after all. […] My personal opinion is that, ok the recent past isn't something that we should be proud of, but the newly independence gives us a historical chance to restart and develop Serbia on our own.”

Cvijus011 of Belgrade Blog writes about a Belgrade building in which, on December 1, 1918, “the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was proclaimed that later became Yugoslavia.”

According to Persian Architect, this afternoon, there will be a peaceful protest against anti-women's law in Tehran. The blogger gives a link to the declaration of women's rights activists concerning this protest. Several blogs and many personalities have already backed this peaceful demonstration.

Kotaji blogger kotajihwa blogs on some interesting sights found using Google Earth to look down on Japanese and South Korean government buildings in ‘Archigraphy.' via Kerim and Pinyin News.

Today on Danwei TV comes the second part of an interview with the returnee daughter of a Mao-era higher-up turned Capitalist media mogul, one of China's most successful, from Danwei's Anna Sophie Loewenberg, Jeremy Goldkorn and Fernando Fidanza

Possibly the strongest unifying force for Chinese men under 30, fierce competition in internet-based roleplaying games has led to the development of an unusual new meta-occupation: proxy player.

Translates Virtual China's Lyn Jeffery: “As the article explains, proxy player shops “网游代练”公司 arose to serve those who love online games but don't have the skills or the time to develop a mature character. Instead, they simply buy what they need. The people who are hired to develop virtual assets in-game are called ‘online game proxy players.'”

The American consulate in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou issued a warning last year of potential terrorist attacks against its citizens there. As seen on Guangzhou-based Lonnie Hodge's blog OneManBandwith, another terror alert has been released:

“I think we are relatively safe,” the professor-blogger writes. “I am loathe to make fun, but, I am personally more concerned about riding in a Guangzhou cab, but it is something to consider.”

Guyana Resource Centre links to a Guyana Chronicle aerial photo of last week's flooding in Lethem, in Guyana's Rupununi savannah. The report called it “the heaviest flooding there since 1989″.

Bingfeng Teahouse blogger is back with a post which takes a humorous look at China's approach to diplomatic relations, particularly those of which Chinese authorities take advantage.

Medicina Cubana questions the figures (ES) being quoted by the Cuban ambassador to Bolivia regarding the number of patients seen by the team of 590 Cuban doctors who arrived in Cuba in February: “The figure is really surprising: 570,0000 patients attended to since the end of February. . . With these Cuban super-doctor there should be no illness left in the world. . . or perhaps it's a question of the difference between the actual facts and Castro-esque accounting. . . .”

One assumes that any scenic photos taken by Supernaut blogger Frances D'Ath are abound with serious epistemological and metatheoretical significance.

“This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been,” D'Ath says of a recent trip through China's Tiger Leaping Gorge (虎跳峡), “and I've been drawn to Yulong Xueshan since I saw photos of it a few years ago. It is more awe-inspiring than any words I could write, the photographs are only poor scratches in dirt beside incomprehensible immenseness, and the desire to catch a farmer's ferry across the gorge and climb the endless peaks was almost irresistable.”

Watching the World Cup at a resort in Belize Andy Hunt (who is himself a resort owner) notes that “the Resort owners and staff are all disappearing during the day, to be found hiding in some local bar to watch the games. I'm sure the quality of service at the resorts is going to plummet over the next month.”

The Barbados Labour Party blog re-jigs a quote from Barbados Free Press to make it appear that the latter supports the BLP over the opposition. Barbados Free Press isn't having any of it.

A visit to the Bahamian island of Eleuthera inspires Lynn Sweeting to write a moving article lamenting the state of the community: “The land and the sea are as beautiful as ever, but there is no creation fire burning anywhere in the neighbourhoods. . . . “

A hurricane insurance act is being drafted to help local farmers and fishermen recover from devastating storms, reports the Nassau Bahamas Vacation blog.

ArubaGirl posts a report of sorts, in point form, on the June 8 anti-government protests in Aruba, with a link to photos of the event.

Jean-Paul of Dijoux.re posts pictures of the 150th anniversary of La Reunion's Agriculture Chamber and explains (Fr): “During the 3 days employees of this institution and its President Guy Derand welcome you to the Esplanade of Trinity with a mini-farm, some exhibits and produce tastings. Sunday [June 11] a produce market [takes] place.”

Seckasysteme is in a mood for Baaba Maal's music on a sunny day and he shares (Fr) some with you.

Guillaume, an NGO worker in Rwanda, posts (Fr) pictures of Grace, a Rwandan co-worker and newborn Lancelot so that his father who is studying in Belgium can follow his evolution.

Idland posts a piece on Namibia “In Pursuit of the Beautiful” in which he visits and describes the country's landscape and national parks.

New Kenyan blog Mzalendo which monitors the Kenyan parliament has a report by Bankekele “A Day in Parliament”

Yebo Gogo reports on a story of Armenian mercenaries in Kenya who were deported last week. There have been various reports in Kenyan newspapers including one where the brothers were supposedly in Kenya to “transform a section of Kenya’s security forces into a crack commando unit”

Nigerian blog, Exodus comments on an employment/unemployment scam “about a man ripping off people under the guise of helping them secure employment with the Immigration Service. “

Thinkers Room comments on the Madaraka day celebrations in Nairobi, in particular he is highly critical of the “parade”

Meskel Square reports that families of those killed in last year's election violence in Ethiopia intend to sue the government for compensation.

Nazret.com points to a report on an Ethiopian woman who jumped from a second floor flat in Bahrain in order to avoid continued physical abuse from her “employers”

Uganda CAN reports that Sudan has agreed to collaborate with the International Criminal Court in the arrest of LRA leader, Joseph Kony

Politics ZA reports that ANC Chairman and Minister of Defence, Mosiuoa Lekota continues to call for Zuma to account for his various comments during the rape trial..

Under the Acacias reports on what is happening in Burkina Faso - famine, elections, health, economy, aid and gold.

“What would Mao Zedong have said about this?” China Confidential blogger Confidential Reporter asks of a recently-released Amnesty International report.

“The human rights group says Chinese weapons sales to Nepal helped prolong and aggravate the conflict there,” the blogger writes, “where the country's despised absolute monarch was recently stripped of his powers after huge anti-government demonstrations by unarmed protesters and government officials have begun peace talks with the rebels.”