Global Voices Online

Susan Loone is concerned about politicians trying to fragment her country and launches a new blog to discuss the issue. “This page will document all the events which continue to tear our social fabric apart, unless we do our part to put a stop to it all. One way is making others aware that these methods are not the way to nation building. At times we do not realise how fragile we are, still as a nation.”

Indonesia Matters highlights quotes by a cleric from Central Sulavesi who feels that Jihad as mentioned in Quranic context is no longer relevent today.

If you're patient and a fan of Latin American indie rock, then I highly recommend downloading the new album from Mostruo!, titled “Grosso.” Available for download here and if the good samaritan likes what she hears, purchases can be made here.

Pointing to other cities planning municipal wireless internet access like San Francisco, Singapore, and Buenos Aires, Tinta Fantasma asks why there is no similar initiative in Peru [ES]. Meanwhile, Waldo of El Mundo de los Pendrejos takes initiative himself to list the free and subscription-based wi-fi connections [ES] in the capital city of Lima.

Foreign Notes writes on the future of Kharkiv following Yevhen Kushnatyov's death; the investigation of Yushchenko's poisoning; and Yanukovych's reaction to the unfavorable PACE report on Ukraine.

TOL's Belarus Blog writes about a new film about the post-election protests in Minsk in March 2006.

TOL's Belarus Blog writes about two Western bands named after… well, after Belarus and its capital, Minsk.

Traveling Life writes about the blog of Poland's former prime minister.

David McDuff posts installment #11 of Marina Litvinenko's interview, translated from the Russian.

Palestinian blogger Haitham Sabbah engages in a tongue in cheek tirade with the US State Department, after accusing the US of commiting acts of terrorism in Iraq.

Jordanian blogger Batir Wardam says Petra is still in the race to be included among the seven new wonders of the world.

Jordanian blogger Khalaf is wondering what it takes to get old cars off the roads. This follows newspaper reports on how people with old dilapidated vehicles are holding on to their cars, in the hope that the government will offer them a customs exemption in exchange for taking the cars off the road.

Syrian blogger Omar gives us an interesting synopsis of a paper on global warming, which stresses that “the (US) government intervenes with genuine scientific studies, in an attempt to delude the public of the serious, and eminent problem of global warming.”

Ad Blog Arabia points to an advertisement which appeared in an Iranian paper, which says that Iran has the right to procure nuclear energy while the US has no right to bomb it. “This is an interesting advertisement published in the Tehran Times newspaper on behalf of a group called Danes for World Peace. AdPunch reveals that they’re actually a Danish street art group, Surrend,” writes Zeid Nasser.

“Who ever thought that the socks safely tucked away in the boots of oppression would be so holey?” asks Will at Kabobfest.
“Do you think leading neo-condrathal Paul Wolfowitz was sending Muslims a message by wearing such shoddy socking at the Turkish mosque? Or are his socks manufactured poorly because they are made in the sweatshops that proliferated thanks to the free market globalization the World Bank pushes?” he adds.

Anglolibyan says Muslims in the UK are making the headlines again. “Again British Muslims make headline news locally and internationally, yesterday the police arrested 9 young British Muslims in Birmingham, who the police allege were trying to kidnap a Muslim British soldier who is in the UK on leave, the plot is to kidnap him then behead him while being filmed then post the video on the Internet,” he writes.

The wannabe Indian punkster has strong words for people who blamed the abused. “Because I don’t know if your thoughts stem from incomprehension or resolute denial, but it’s about time that you wrapped your mind around the idea that maybe, just maybe in an abusive relationship the abusers are the one to blame.

A delightful post at Light Within on bridges in Pakistan. “Pakistan in the last six decades has not built a bridge of any aesthetic or architectural value. Most of the new major bridges are of the economic variety built for the roads out of pre-cast concrete boxes or beams, or of plate girders that any one hardly notices driving over.”

At United We Blog! - The Madhesi movements finds itself commented on by Prachanda. “Federalism and proportionate representation are our slogans. We raised those issues. Now reactionaries who were always opposing those issues and were against the election of constituent assembly are stealing those slogans and trying to portray themselves as the biggest republicans, Prachanda said.”

The Bangla Wikipedia is growing leaps and bounds. Drishtipat on helping the Bangla wiki grow. “Over the last year, we have taken initiatives to draw more contributors to Bangla wikipedia. In December, volunteers of Bangla Wikipedia visited various Mughal-era monuments of Old Dhaka and took more than 300 pictures, all of which were released under a free license … these photos are completely free and open for all to use, without any restrictions of copyrights. “

Bryan Schaaf at Haiti Innovation asks how emigration can be turned to Haiti's benefit.

Ethan Zuckerman writes about a new project in West Africa, TradeNet, “TradeNet is designed to take advantage of the boom in mobile phones on the African continent, a boom that’s put mobile phones in the hands of 10% of Africans… an amazing growth over the number of people connected via wired telephony. TradeNet is designed to be an open marketplace for buyers and sellers of agricultural products throughout West Africa. The reason for this is simple: most farmers sell their goods to wholesalers located near to them.”

A 2007 calypso citing the book of Leviticus in support of its anti-gay message inspires Trinidad blogger Jessica to comment, with considerable light-heartedness, on both freedom of speech issues and the selective use of the Bible to bolster certain viewpoints.

MediaCritic is impressed with two of the latest music videos produced in Guyana, and offers some tips to low-budget videomakers.

Eugenio Martínez Rodriguez suggests that the adoption of blogs by the mainstream media in Puerto Rico may have had the effect of “trivialising” the form.

Prompted by the news that the childhood home of Barbadian cricketing legend Sir Frank Worrell is to be restored, Titalyo writes about the lamentable state of other buildings of “historical interest” in Barbados, and wonders “how much substance there is behind the Prime Minister’s recent pledge to “restore the houses of the country’s leaders” and “the treasures of our heritage”.”

The Temas Blog points readers to a BBC photo essay about an experimental urban, organic garden in Caracas' city center.

Barbados Free Press raises the issue of the proliferation of pornographic cell phone videos featuring underage students and sparks of a lively comment thread.

Registan.net looks at a change to Uzbekistan's media law that now defines all websites, including blogs, as mass media, subjecting them to registration and content submission requirements. The author expects that this will only delay the growth of the Uzbek blogosphere.

“Whether Fidel Castro is dead or only partially dead, the last six months have shown that the dictatorship he created is fully capable carrying on his repressive ways,” writes Marc Masferrer in the introduction to a post reporting on the situation of a few key Cuban dissidents and political prisoners.

Irene crunches the numbers and points out that even if every single person in Kazakhstan blogged, there would still be far more Chinese bloggers. She looks at possible reasons why Kazakhstan's blogging community is as small as it is.

Val Prieto answers those who believe that the party being planned by Miami's Cuban community to celebrate Fidel Castro's death is in bad taste: “Im going to pop open “la botellita”, wave my flags, honk my car horn, scream at the top of my lungs, dance in the streets, hug my neighbors…the whole fidel castro is f*****g dead enchilada. The following morning, I will, undoubtedly have the worst and best hangover Ive ever had in my life.“

At group blog Malagasy Miray, US-based contributor Malagasy aty California explains (Fr): “When I go shopping, it is generally to cope with homesickness. So I … look scrupulously for tags that say ‘Made in Madagascar'. When I lived in Cincinatti, I looked for those in vein.. [But .in California] ‘Made in Madagascar' products do exist and are found mostly on textiles and food. So I buy my clothes at Old Navy … I choose ice cream made with Malagasy vanilla … And to me that is my way of being close to those who spend hours and hours behind machines in the free zones of Tanjombato, Ivato or elsewhere.”

KO has a scathing review of the Visit Pakistan 2007 website, launched to promote tourism to Pakistan. “No tourist cares that the Ministry is working on policy formulation and development, as well as promoting and executing tourism investment projects. The only thing this page is going to do is tell the potential tourist browsing the website that the sainted Ministry of Tourism could care less about tourism and tourists.”

NepaliVoices calls out for a blogmeet for bloggers from Nepal. “This is a gathering of Nepali bloggers to talk various issues (all bloggers are free to talk on any issue they want) plus the formation of Bloggers Association of Nepal (BLOGAN).”

Shivam Vij writes on the MSM and Blogosphere, and why the MSM needs to look closer at blogs instead of dismissing them as trash. “What is perhaps most fascinating about the Indian blogosphere is the great presence here of right-wing voices – far greater than is to be found in the mainstream English media. Many bloggers, for instance, have long insisted that the India-Pakistan peace process ought to be scrapped, as Pakistan has not given up the use of terrorism as a state policy.”

Harinjaka had this to say about high speed internet in Madagascar (Fr): “The information technology market is exploding in Madagascar …IT Companies hire a lot here … because high speed internet is now available all over the country. 2006 was marked by the quest for high speed internet. Websurfers of the capital are getting to know this product. The deployment of this technology in rural areas will be the big challenge for 2007.”

Strong reactions to the expanding bus of ministers in Sri Lanka. Indi.ca says “Governance is not a prize for betrayal. It is a duty and a service, and Mahinda has corrupted it even further.”. LankaWatch comments “That’s a total of 104 parliamentarians now serving as the government of Sri Lanka. The question on everyone's mind is with the increasing military budget and dwindling foreign investments, who pays for all these ministers' security and luxuries.”

Matts at Gust of popular feelings has a very interesting post about the history of Korean Anarchist movement.

Ampontan blogs about the history and identity of Okinawan in relation to Japan.

Alexpappas from Japundit blogs about the history debate over the new Japanese movie “The Truth about Nanjing”.

Nanfang daily have a short child labour photo essay(zh), the boys started working at factories when they were 15.

In order to avoid offending China’s 21 million member Muslim population, the propaganda department in China is considering banning pig from Year of the Pig TV advertisements - More form Onemanbandwidth.

Lyn Jeffery from virtual china translates an opinion piece by blogger Guo Yanjing on Myspace's strategy in China: “If Myspace wants to succeed, it shouldn't act like an outsider” (zh).