Global Voices Online

The Limey reports briefly on the public's mixed response — and often humorous — to Bermudian Premier Alex Scott's decision to ride the bus to work.

Barbados Free Press comes out strongly against Barbados Deputy Prime Minister Mia Mottley's call for “the curtailment of free speech” on radio call-in shows and blogs.

Pan-African News Wire reproduces an article from Cuban news daily Granma, announcing plans for a concert to celebrate Fidel Castro's 80th birthday celebrations on August 11-12 in Havana. The concert will feature several “top protest and ballad singers of Latin America” as well as South African star Miriam Makeba.

Charles Nesson announces that he is hosting a programme on the the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica on August 1 (Jamaica's Emancipation and Independence Day) “in which Jamaican leaders talk with me about Jamaica’s journey to freedom and the issues of emancipation and independence which still confront them.” The programme will be followed by a series of discussions featuring prime ministers of Jamaica.

Breed writes about the charms of the bazaar in the Kyrgyz city of Osh and the lessons it holds for those who might find themselves in post-Soviet airports.

LJ user tropical-rat engages in some amateur anthropology regarding flashmobs in Kazakhstan.

On the appearance of Ethiopian troops in Somalia, Yebo Gogo writes: “I hope all parties will find a way to walk away before more blood is shed, but this has the potential to be a long, deadly conflict.”

Irina Petrosian discusses the omnipresence of apricots, apricot-related gossip, apricots as an indicator of inflation, and much more that has contributed to Armenia being referred to on occasion as an “apricot republic.”

Yulia comments on the release of additional details about the new agreement between Kyrgyzstan and the United States that will allow the US to keep using the Manas airfield for supporting operations in Afghanistan. She argues that it is fortunate that the issue was resolved without becoming a huge fight because the US is an important ally for Kyrgyzstan to have.

Mat Savelli of Roma Roma posts a collection of the Balkan graffiti photos: “So, while “death to all Croats!” might give the impression that, say, Mostar east of the Neretva is a relatively intolerant place, there is every possibility that this was written in 1994. That being said, the fact that some graffiti does not get covered up might say something, but its hard to determine whether it means complacent acceptance of the message by society at large, or just a lack of paint to cover the thing up.”

Vilhelm Konnander writes about the 2006 Gay Pride in Riga, which “seems to become a repetition of last year's chaos and homophobic protests in the Latvian capital.”

Wu Wei points out a positive aspect in what's happening in Ukrainian politics: “The only hopeful thing I can think of is that these days all the changing sides and bribery and “principled stands” are happening more or less under the eyes of the world and not completely in closed and smoke-filled rooms. It must be good for Ukrainians to really know what is going on.”

The Humble Observer describes a ride in a third-class Ukrainian train car, platskart: “I usually ride in second class, where the rooms have four bunks. But when there’s no tickets, I ride with the masses ride in Plat. It’s a wagon on the train with no separate rooms, just lined with bunks.”

Doug Muir of A Fistful of Euros writes about “spy kids,” one of the legacies of Romania's Communist past: “Huge flap in Romania this week, as it’s been revealed that the Communist-era secret police recruited children to spy on parents and classmates.”

Adil writes about Astola Island in Pakistan. “Flying over Astola Island (Pakistan)‚ my first sight of the Island and the speed boat anchored in a bay far below quite took my breath. Pointing hull of the boat lay in pale blue shallows‚ riding on the swell. Even a hardened seaman would have melted at the sight of a creature as beautiful as the speed boat.”

Owlspotting gives a photo tour of a Romanian high school he graduated from in 1999.

TOL's Belarus Blog posts an approximate translation of a letter allegedly written by a group of Belarus KGB officers, which contains “revelations about what happened during the presidential elections and in its aftermath. Not a lot of new information - but the very attempt to drag attention to such anonymous source is interesting. Basically, while repeating the information that we already know (hey, we knew what Mr. Pavlichenko is doing), they are trying to whitewash KGB. What for?”

Only 300 Sri Lankans have been evacuated from Lebanon says Sri Lanka. “There are around 93,000 Sri Lankans currently working in Lebanon, 86,000 of them housemaids, said Jagath Wellawatta, Chairman of Sri Lanka's Foreign Employment Bureau. “

African Migrants takes note of a report that says African migrants who held a job before leaving their homeland in search of work are more likely to find employment on arrival in Australia.

David McDuff of A Step At A Time provides a link to a new blog examining the death of Shamil Basayev and its significance for Chechnya.

African Architecture showcases the possibilities inherent in traditional African thatched roofing in contemporary buildings.

Democracy for Nepal explores what Maoists mean when they talk of National Capital. “Those of us who for a decade feared a Cambodia style massacre in Nepal should put some effort into appreciating this transformation that is taking place. There are things we can do to help that process of transformation, and we should focus on that, rather than getting in the way of that transformation every which way we can.”

Blogdai on Maoists and the Government. “So the next time someone tells you that the “Maoists must be brought into the mainstream,” give them a sharp smack in the head. Hope and optimism are wonderful things, but patterns and past practices are what should inform our judgements.”

“Destroying the infrastructure of Lebanon isn't going to achieve much. It would surely not make Israel any safer,” writes Netherlands-based Nigerian blogger Chippla in a . “Support for Hezbollah has been on the increase in Lebanon since the bombing started…Hezbollah isn't a political party per se that could easily be destroyed. It is like a movement, an ideology, formed in 1982 to drive Israeli forces out of Lebanon.”

African Women posts a call for nominations for the African Women of Distinction book and video exhibition scheduled for December 2006. The aim, the announcement says, is to profile the stories and work of 20 women in Africa who embody the essence of leadership, determination, and innovation in addressing social, economic and political issues at local, national, and international levels.

Sebastien of 5 Minutes en Nouvelle Caledonie posts a video of Kanak and Polynesian dances performed during a 14 Juillet [July 14] celebration.

Palava Soup posts a review of Ayaan Hirsi Ali's book about Muslim women, The Caged Virgin, by British Muslim Fareena Alam, who is impressed neither by its central thesis nor its author's level of scholarship.

Zarabes writes (Fr): “We members of the moslem community of la Reunion, are watching powerless the current events in Palestine and Lebanon. Tired of the ambiant silence, we ask the various heads of the island's masjids to hold a common discourse next Friday (July 28, 2006) for the salat of d'jouma or to delegate this task to the officiating Imam on that day. We suggest that all the bayanes that will take place this friday talk about the topic that currently preoccupies the Islamic world i.e. the slaying of our brothers, sisters and children in Palestine and Lebanon.”

Lela Tensae gives a witty and detailed portrait of funeral rites among Ethiopians in the United States. “The worst type of funeral for me is when the deceased is in the age bracket of 65 to 80. The deceased probably was hiding during the Italian invasion or was titled by the Italians for being a banda but his relatives always claim him a ‘hero' who fought the enemy bravely,” she writes.

Various election updates from the usual suspects. Mark in Mexico is shocked that only half a percent of Mexicans living in the United States voted by absentee ballots. Ceci Connolly says López Obrador might have a few surprises in store. And Ana Maria Salazar has her usual rundown of the day's news.

From Reunion, Jean-Paul at Dijoux.re writes (Fr):”It is the first eruption of the year. Of the two lava flows registered at the beginning of the eruption, one stopped and the other has diminished. The awful weather (i.e. the cold, the rain and the fog) is not making for a scenic eruption. A path was cleared but it takes a 4-5 hour hike to get close to the lava. But our volcano is capricious and its summit is often deceptive. Tonight (Friday) it rains in the North and East of the island with a temperature of 20 degrees C on the coast.”

Cristian Cambronero has an entertaining meditation on the Colombian magazine SoHo (ES), which he describes as “Maxim with less beach.”

Bethany wishes Colombia a happy Independence Day. Harry Hutton celebrates the day with a rant against the American habit of taking credit for all world events.

Guillermo gets a kick out of car model names and what they mean in Spanish. For example, there is the Mitsubishi Pajero (”Wanker”), the Nissan Moco (”Booger”), and the Mazda Laputa (”The Whore”).

Atari has a change of heart about the “funk light” band, Bonde do Role and their “party music that’s reasonably fun to dance to.”

Reunion Passion writes (Fr): “Le Piton de la Fournaise started erupting at the end of the night of July 20 at 4 am. According to information from the volcano observatory, the eruption took place at the volcano's summit, near the Bory crater.”

Alireza Shirazi founder of fast growing Blogfa, an Iranian provider for blogs says Parliament Research Center in Iran considered internet as a dangerous instrument for national security and for people. According to this blogger Research Center talks about internet users who put national security in danger and want to overthrow Iranian State [Fa]. Shirazi writes this kind of talk shows in which kind of situation we will find ourselves in coming months.