Global Voices Online

TZ=Indian/Antananarivo writes (Fr): “Health is apparently one of the sectors most affected by corruption in Madagascar … Things may be getting better but there is still a long way to go…”

Kafila on the use of numbers in the media and beyond in gauging public opinion, reflecting aspirations and instant voting on cellphones on people's fates. “With the spread of cheap computers and design software in the 1990’s the statistical image became ubiquitous, standing in as an explanation of the contingencies of elections, the weather, crime and public opinion in general. The more unpredictable, dangerous and contingent modern experience became, the more widespread the use of the statistical image as a knowledge form to explain the world. “

Azad Forever has a video with reactions to the elections in the US - “On the eve of the election night we sat down with some American and Pakistani-American Law Students to hear their thoughts on the elections as well as on the results.”

United We Blog! on the celebratory tone of various people on the signing of the historic agreement between the ruling alliance and the Maoists. “Newspapers, general public and political leaders are unanimously praising the Agreement and celebrating the achievement”

More reactions from Nepal on the recently signed agreement. Our Dream says “Finally Nepal government signed a peace deal with the Maoist rebels. Hopefully, they will all be sincere in carrying out the peace deals in the days to come.”

Neretva River posts a list of “issues that need to be resolved for [Serbia's EU] accession process to move forward.” Wu Wei hopes Europe would not ignore the fact that during the recent referendum on Serbia's new constitution “Kosovars were not invited to vote unless they were Serbs, who were given strong directions from Belgrade on which way to vote.”

Trans Europa Express continues to post pictures and stories from the Serbian countryside.

Mihai Moscovici reports on how anyone can help Moldovan kids learn English: send children's books to Moldova-based Peace Corps Volunteer Andy Buchanan (who blogs at Random Musings on a Moldovan Odyssey).

Snowsquare reports on the first New Year trees - yolki - that have already appeared in Moscow.

The spelling of the Romanian word for “scissors” has been changed by a committee, and many people learn about it from their kids, the hard way, reports Andy H of Csikszereda Musings.

The Glory of Carniola posts a 1906 map of an imaginary entity called “The United States of Greater Austria.”

Adrian J. Erlinger of Leopolis dedicates a vignette on today's Moscow to Vladimir Vysotsky, a legendary bard who died in 1980: “What would Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky think of all this, the Asiatic Medieval Post-totalitarian Capitalist Order? He would roll a paparos, blow blue smoke through on the balcony…Would he hate them more than the Soviet Communists?”

Barbados Free Press posts the first in a series of article on the country's water crisis.

Copydude writes about British sailors and Russian women in the wartime Soviet North, and a film to be made about them by a Russian director.

Ricardo Carreón is pleasantly surprised by the increase in consumer spending and credit lending in Mexico over the past few years. According to Carreón, “this is what economic stability can bring to an economy. A great testimony to the goodness that a responsible management of public finances can do to the consumers.”

Ana Maria Salaza writes: “As a result of a meeting held by Oaxaca governor Ulises Ruiz and Carlos Abascal, the Secretary of the Interior, to evaluate the situation in Oaxaca, Ulises Ruiz has come to a partial compromise by promising to establish a program to recuperate some sort of normality in management of state affairs.” Mark in Mexico has a more cynical take on the outcome of their meeting.

If Uri Ridelman's first post about why he opposes Nicaragua President-Elect Daniel Ortega isn't clear enough, then the second one will hammer it home.

How many cities have official government weblogs that organize flash mob pillow fights? Liz Henry tells us where to head to on November 18.

Julayne describes the water festival celebration in Cambodia. “I love how much the people of Cambodia celebrate things that actually matter….I mean, to celebrate, in such a huge way, the gift of water…it's amazing to think about all the things we take for granted. “

You would think that heads of state would be a little more careful about what they talk about when their wearing a microphone. Listen to outgoing Mexican President Vicente Fox say one thing on-air and quite another off-air [ES].

The blogger at Sticky Rice is congratulating Vietnam on becoming the 150th member of the World Trade Organisation. “Congratulations, VIETNAM. Proud to be part of you !!! You did a great job but not only opportunities ahead, there will be lot of challenges. I believe you will be successful in this huge game. “

Indcoup is happy that the Indonesian travelers exiting out of the port of Batam no longer have to pay a departure tax. “The tax is equally absurd from an economic perspective. Cos in addition to discouraging Indonesians from going overseas for holidays, the tax also discourages small-scale businesspeople from doing business overseas and making vital contacts with potential foreign business partners.”

If you’re looking to purchase real estate to rent out for investment purposes, but aren’t sure how to identify a good real estate deal, there are a few things you need to educate yourself on before you make your purchase. This article is a resource for future investors in Panama.

Grandiose Parlor confirms allegation of money laundering by a senior special assistant to the Nigerian president: Yes, I did what the Nigerian government and the EFCC wouldn’t do: research the allegations. I called up my buddy “Joe Big-Guts”, a US attorney and searched the LexisNexis, an online database of public records. Here is the court docket of Emmanuel Uba’s case at US District Court of Oregon (pdf) that corroborates the documents provided by Sahara Reporters.

The Manicou tries to get to the bottom of the shooting murder of a young man in a community in central Trinidad and the subsequent rioting by members of the community demanding justice, but hopes the rioting ” is not indicative of where we are as a society to where we see race and class in every incident.”

How Meskel Square learned how to stop worrying and love creative commons, “On the personal side, lots of good things have come out of the fact that my cast-off photos are swimming around the internet with a CC license attached. People have written in checking to se if they can use them in textbooks, calendars, Ethiopian restaurant menus, novelty Amharic greeting cards.”

One Man bandwidth comments on the China education system with reference to his teaching experience.

ESWN has translated a report in China Youth Daily about a reporter Liu Wanrong's experience in digging up a news story on “The Business Dealings of a Retired High Official”. It shows the death threats confronted by reporters in China.

ESWN translated a BBS post in Wenxuecity about a public murder in Shenzhen committed by municipal administrators.

Gpod is a Japanese Patented device, linking to i-pod for controlling the vibrator's rhythmn according to the i-pod music. JP in Japundit reports that the Japanese company has gained its fame as Apple is trying to stop the name by legal means.