Global Voices Online

Shards of Mongolia has thoughts on truth in Mongolia's media.

Registan.net writes about the role of clans in last month's anti-government protests and the implications of clans for democratization in Central Asia.

Yulia discusses Kyrgyzstan's options for responding to Uzbekistan raising prices for natural gas.

Zarchka reports on the transition to new traffic rules for vans that serve as public transportation that requires them to stop only at bus stops. After some chaos, she says that some sort of order has been restored, but that there have been unintended consequences.

Ellen Fields introduces the expat blog of Seth, a British national working for Amnesty International and living in Mexico City.

Venezuelan bloggers everywhere are adding their lost thoughts before this Sunday's presidential election. Miguel Octavio says, “Strange happenings all over the place as the Government seems to be stirring the pot unnecessarily.” Katy shows and links to “pictures of the illegal use of government funds to help the Chávez campaign.” Oil Wars shows examples of the receipts voters will be given after casting their ballots at touch screen computers. Chesa Boudin and Pablo Navarrete respond at length to the post ‘Rosales is coming up roses‘ by Charles Tannock and Fernando Gerbasi, criticizing The Guardian for featuring it. Hands Off Venezuela has published a statement of solidarity in support of the re-election of Hugo Chavez. And, finally, Tomas Sancio, of Baruta, Venezuela, compares the 2003 California Recall, the 2004 Venezuela Recall and the 2006 December Presidential Elections.

Bilingual blogger Aldo Bonilla recommends the collection of photos at AntiguaDailyPhoto.com.

Carlos X. Colorado, moderator of the “San Romero” Yahoo! Discussion Group and guest-blogger on Tim’s El Salvador Blog takes a look at the top five candidates who might replace San Salvador Archbishop Fernando Saenz Lacalle next year.

It seems that the spirit of Argentina's recent pillow fight flash mob has spread to Colombia [ES] Get your fluffiest weaponry ready.

According to Sos-Sanjari, Kianoosh Sanjari,23 years old jailed blogger met with his mother.Sos-Sanjari blog writes, according to Sanjari's mother, his son has lost weight and he is in a very bad condition.

“Minding my own business at a corner internet cafe along a main avenue in Cochabama, I noticed a commotion originating from the city’s main plaza, one block away. Dozens of pedestrians were holding their mouths and I knew that could only mean one thing - tear gas was dispersed to quell some disturbance.” Eduardo Ávila explains just what that disturbance was.

ArubaGirl puts paid to the idea that “nothing happens on small islands” by recounting some of the recent goings-on in Aruba.

Alpar has given a link to what he calls ridiculous law about sites and blogs. According to the new law [Fa], all sites and blogs should be registered in the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.Sites and blogs will have no right to publish anything against Leader,Islamic regime and even about filtering.

Petro of Petro's Jotter writes more on the Ukrainian Famine and his correspondence on the subject with the editor of a Kyiv expat publication.

“Ukraine Seeks to Join EU, NATO, G8, NBA, NASCAR, FIFA, Etc.” - this is just one of the headlines in the Kyiv Beet, an Onion-like Ukrainian publication, writes Ukraine List.

“The glorious expat community in Kyiv is wearing their sad faces,” writes Carpetblogger: neither pirated, nor licensed Borat DVDs are to be found in Ukraine's capital.

The blog of CAR presidential candidate Olivier Gabirault points to a Liberation article stating (Fr): “In 1997, Paris, linked to its former colony by a defense accord, disengaged by closing its two military bases (Bangui and Bouar) for economic reasons. Ten years later, French soldiers are back to support President Francois Bozize … On the opposite team are partisans of ex-President Ange-Felix Patasse and soldiers who now oppose the one who deposed Patasse in March 2003: General Francois Bozize, elected president last year. But also Tchadians who are combatting the Idriss Deby regime.”

“Just minutes before the movie Summer Palace (Serbian: Letnja Palata) […] rolled, Serbian authories came to the rescue and pulled the movie off the Festival because apparently China threatened to freeze all diplomatic activities with Serbia if the movie is shown,” reports Belgrade 2.0.

A Russian-language article on the reaction of “the People” translated at La Russophobe.

Robert Wright eloquently describes and photographs the supernatural quality of Buenos Aires' Recoleta Cemetery.

World of Pablo introduces some of the haunted places and other supernatural beings in Brunei.

Argentine illustrator Roberto Bobrow explains his prolonged absence from the blogosphere: “Fabián is (I refuse to use the past tense) my younger cousin, the son of the younger sister of my mother. He is also considered the best Argentinean moviemaker in many years. With just two movies (written and directed) in five years he got the first one (‘Nine queens’) remade in the USA (‘Criminal’) and the second (‘The Aura’) chosen for the Oscar awards. But Fabián is something else to me: more like the little brother I would wish to have.”

Angel of LittleWoodenMen was invited to a kindergarten graduation ceremony while “La Gringa” offers a suggestion on how to start dealing with La Ceiba's trash problem: “My idea about the trash cans is this: Get local businesses (certainly hotels and restaurants have a vested interest in improving the appearance of the city) and the “elite” to donate trash cans and paint or use some of that 4% tourist tax. Take the old and new cans and paint to the local schools and have the kids decorate them.”

Barbados Free Press outlines some of the arguments being put forward in Barbados in favour of the island becoming a republic, and cautions against rushing the process, especially in light of the way the government seems to be approaching the matter.

Africa 2.0 links to a Silicon.fr post and calls into question (Fr) the real cost of the $100 PC: “$972 per child would be the real cost of the $100 PC.”

According to lorblog,several Lur students protested against a cartoon [Fa] which had been published in several magazines.According to the blogger,the cartoon made fun of Lur's traditional cloth.The blogger gave a link to several photos of student demonstartion in Khorramabad.

Home of the Mandinmories remembers the slain Gambian journalist, Deyda Hydra, “I don't know Deyda Hydara, never met him, but will forever respect him. He paid the ultimate price for something he believed in.”

An American in Africa writes about bead-making in Ghana, “Ghanaian beads are so cool. They use old glass to make them, and they come in every color, shape and size you can imagine. There are antique beads that are beyond our budget (and probably beyond Ghana's “Export of Antiquities” laws!), and beads that were made yesterday.”

Metty'z RefleXions questions the legacy of Mwalimu Nyerere,” How do we know that Nyerere was the best thing? See the problem I have with folks who regard Nyerere highly is that we don’t the alternatives, at his time, to make a logical, objective comparison. I am not even sure if we know Nyerere for who is or what he wanted Tanzanians to believe.”

Wang Xiaofeng writes about “ye” culture in Beijing. The meaning of “ye” literally is grandfather or big brother (old men with authority). “Ye” or “Da Ye” is used as a suffix to someone's name to show respect or submission. Wang notices that in order to prepare for the Beijing Olympic, the government has to suppress the arrogant culture of “Ye”, one of the measure is to prohibit sales from looking scornfully at the customers. However, Wang feels that such efforts would be in vain (zh).

Indonesian journalist Hara Diani on a visit to Tokyo looks at the rise of nationalism and the phenomenon of NEET (young people not studying or working) in Japan.

People's republic of… introduces a new tool (Psiphon) to leap the great firewall.

In Futian district, Shenzhen, more than two hundred people (prostitutes and patrons) were hauled into the street and put on trial in front of the public. ESWN translates the local report with pictures.

ESWN translates two articles about the Chinese sparrow war in 1958 which compare the fate of sparrows with the Chinese intellectuals.

JP from Japundit reports that a town in Japan is selling edible postcards made of cuttlefish.

An article in Pingmag by Verena showing how mobile screen can be a site for creative artworks.