Global Voices Online

Richael Li finally bought up to 50% of Hong Kong Economic Journal. Following ESWN's earlier post analysizing media conditions in Hong Kong, duke of Aberdeen shares with ESWN's optimism that bloggers can take up the intellectual tradition in publication (zh).

Kong-chan comments that most of the owners of Hong Kong newspapers are educated people, the issue at stake is not “who” runs the newspapers but whether they consider newspapers as a pure business (zh).

Learnedfriend wrote a citizen report in inmediahk.net comparing the two demonstrations he had attended and helped organized in the past few days (zh). One was a series of anti-war protests against the killing of innocents in Lebanon; one was an action outside Japanese Consulate, demanding compensation for the comfort women during WWII. The anti-war protests were better organized and many local people joined in; the latter protest was more an ac hoc action, with little mobilization and public annoucnment. However, the media attention given to the WWII action was four times more than the anti-war protests (with mainstream T.V news report team). He wondered why?

JP in Japundit shows some pictures of rocks on the torii: a custom in making wishes by tossing rocks.

Nareg of Life in Armenia wants to know what is up with the sudden appearance of large, flat-panel screens in various locations around Yerevan.

Ataman Rakim writes briefly about Said Abdullo Nuri, the leader of Tajikistan's Islamic Rennaissance Party who recently passed away.

Nessuna carries a fictional story composed out of many elements of truth about virginity and attitudes towards sex. Onnik Krikorian and Ani have related posts.

As the partial recount of disputed votes gets underway, Ana Maria Salazar says that Sympathizers of the Coalition for the Good of All, blocked major banks across Mexico City. Ceci Connolly describes two articles on the violent birth of a baby and the death of a middle-aged man sleeping among Obrador supporters on Reforma Boulevard as “the entire life cycle.” Bianca J. Ulloa says that 100 Obrador sympathizers marched to the capital airport to block vehicular access (ES). Karin's description of la Reforma jibes with the earlier description by Ricardo Carreon: “Seriously - WHAT A JOKE! The whole road was shut down because they had giant tents (think, outdoor banquet types) covering the whole road, and also a few tents for people to sleep in. But there were, like, NO PEOPLE!!!?!?!? Where the hell were they all? The city has been in chaos because the this road has been closed, and there is not even anyone there chanting or holding signs or anything. I was througoughly disappointed.” Jose Sanchez Zolliker says that Obrador's supporters can learn from those protesting in front of the Secretaría de Hacienda (ES): “they didn't block traffic, nor throw trash, nor impede the passage of any person … they simply protested and made their voice heard; they exercised their rights. Mark in Mexico has an update on the recount and says that not much has changed. The partial recount should be completed by Sunday at the latest.

Francis Wade wonders if the widespread acceptance and practise of corporal punishment in Jamaica might be linked to the country's high crime rate.

Trinidadian bloggers Jeremy Taylor and Seldo offer their two cents' on today's thwarted airport bomb plot in England.

Daniel Mauermann has a wonderful Flickr photoset comprising images of Cubans from all walks of life, including one extensively pierced individual smoking a cigar.

Henry Gomez accuses Joe Garcia, the former executive director of the Cuban American National Foundation, of deliberately misinterpreting statements made by President Bush during a television interview and playing playing “divisive political games”. According to Gomez, Garcia claimed that Bush had made statements to the effect that US-based Cubans would be excluded from participating in the eventual transformation of Cuba.

A new blog called, Civilian Resistance in Lebanon - www.lebanonsolidarity.org has started a campaign for Lebanon; ‘An Open Country for Civil Resistance.' The campaign is calling upon the local and international community to join a campaign of civil resistance to Israel's war against Lebanon and its people and declare Lebanon an open country for civil resistance.

The campaign is endorsed by more than 200 local and international organizations. More information can be found here.

Baheyya describes Gamal Hosnie Mubarak (son of Egyptian President) visit to Lebanon as adding insult to injury by pretending to care for the Lebanese people. She says: “But why should I be surprised? What else should one expect from the Mubarak regime but grovelling to the Israelis, using the Lebanese for a photo op, and keeping one nervous eye on the outraged Egyptian public and another on the demanding American bosses? A despised, depleted regime desperately clinging to power should never be cause for wonderment. A despised, depleted regime seeking to salvage some paltry war profits should not be cause for surprise.”

Well, face to face it is, and the question before all of us, particularly government and military leaders, is whether reserve forces, who only a few days before were sitting in their high tech offices and work stations, or relaxing after completing final examinations at the country’s colleges and universities, are ready to engage an enemy who not only has spent years of training and preparation, but for personal and religious reasons is not afraid to commit the ultimate sacrifice on the field of battle, Picow said on the 30th day of the Israeli-Lebanese conflict.

Hilal Chouman describing what he saw on TV: Yesterday, a man was seen on a TV channel. He survived from Shiyah massacre. All his family members died. He was seen carrying some papers covered with dust. Those included passports and other official documents. He was smiling in a strange way and repeating:

“Here are the papers. Nothing is gone. Come look.. Nothing is gone.. I still have them all!”

Sean's Russia Blog reports on the theft of 221 exhibits from the Hermitage.

Yuri Mamchur of Russia Blog writes about the competition between U.S. and U.K. law firms to represent those who suffered in the Airbus A-310 crash in Irkutsk in July.

Michael Averko of Russia Blog writes about toy Soviet tanks, hammer-and sickle-and-red-star jerseys, two-headed-eagle sweatshirts: his favorite Russia-related “chochkas.”

Tim Newman of White Sun of the Desert disagrees with a post by Konstantin of Russian Blog “on the failure of western democracy.”

Copydude writes on how Moscow is misunderstood by the Lonely Planet travel guide and the Guardian.

Caribbean Free Radio posts a music video by Orange Sky, one of Trinidad and Tobago's premier rock bands.

Chapinadas notes the projected jump in tourism for the month of August and describes one of the lesser-known tourist attractions, the Municipal Theatre of Huehuetenango.

A recent post musing over popular bloggers, provokes an interesting reaction from Patrix - who then looks at other popular Indian bloggers to see how much Technorati ranks reveal.

Made in Brazil says this week saw the third wave of attacks by the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) in São Paulo. For more background, read Jose Murilo Junior's recap of the first violent riots in May.

Miguel Buitrago is amazed by the “The Wonders of Google Earth” and its potential in Bolivia: “I got another message from a reader (Sergio) who located the compound of Manfred Reyes Villa, the Prefect of Cochabamba. Now, every public person in Bolivia has to make a “public” declaration of income and property. Where he lives is public knowledge. With a tool like Google Earth, one can even pay him a visit. Take a look. Also, I do not have 100% assurance it is in fact Manfred's Villa. But, even if its not, you can clearly see the reach of Google Earth and, of course, its potential uses.”

Ian Mount on the Bueno Aires expat scandal involving a soon-to-be extradited sex offender who claimed he was a gynecologist in the US and then pretended he was with Doctors Without Borders in Argentina. Tango in her eyes, another expat blogger, is thankful she listened to her gut feelings: “This person emailed me extending his offer help me with my medical needs, because my “cold” just may turn into a bronchical infection. He was just a bit “too” interested in helping me. And then when he mentioned the method of ingestion of the antibiotics he was going to perscribe, the ALARMS really went CODE RED!”

Metroblogging Islamabad on the changing culture of road side eateries in the city.

All Things Pakistan on why Maula Jatt is an icon film in Pakistan.

A Bengali in TO has a discussion with a Bangladeshi woman in Canada who doesn't quite like the fact that Canada has a lot of immigrants and wants to push for a Canadian culture.

Indian Muslims questions why law enforcement agencies target Muslims, and why the community is the usual suspect.

The BBC World Service program World Have Your Say has turned itself over to children who have experienced the Israeli-Lebanese conflict. The show has live blogged the episode.

Singapore's famous adventurer and traveller Popagandhi writes from the edge of South East Asia in the Indian state of Meghalaya. The name Meghalaya means the land of the clouds. Popagandhi observes the

East Asia