David Sasaki

Studio 360 on two of my favorite American Icons - Norman Mailer and Kind of Blue

Global Voices via Google Maps [by Mostapha]

Peru: Plagiarism at Every Level

As the internet does what it does best, finding links were previously none existed, will resourceful bloggers discover hitherto unknown instances of text theft by well-regarded journalists, columnists, and authors? That’s what has happened in several cases recently in Peru. Juan Arellano reports.

Nepal: Gaur Massacre

Who was responsible for the March 21 Guar Massacre which left 29 dead and more than 40 injured? Were the Maoists set up? Will the peace process go forward? Paramendra digs through Nepal’s blogosphere in search of the answers.

Russia: Variations of Dissent

Veronica Khokhlova keeps us abreast of continued reaction following this past weekend’s loosely defined “Dissenters’ March” in Nizhniy Novgorod.

France: Line Crossed in the Hunt for Immigrants

As French presidential elections come, undocumented immigrants are suddenly sent away. Lova Rakotomalala translates two posts about France’s anti-immigrant hysteria.

Bolivia: Bolivian Television’s Watchdog

Could a few independent-minded Bolivian bloggers help reform the sensationalistic coverage of evening news? What about the soap-opera scriptwriting of national films? Is it time for a new generation to take power behind the big screen?

The Israeli Blogs-Looking for an Advocate

Deborah Ann Dilley gives us a far-too-rare glimpse into the Israeli blogosphere, where pot is “not kosher” for Passover, 18-year-olds must head to the army … and then India, and several bloggers are posting for peace. Are you tired of reading the same dozen or so blogs? Why not find some “treppenwitz” and join new coversations?

Roundups

Cycles of a wartime blogosphere in Sri Lanka, on Putin’s article in The Times, picking cotton in Uzbekistan, and much more can be found in today’s Global Roundups.

The Oldest Blogger in the Balkans

“In the evening, Radmilo Ristic, a 74-year-old retired high school professor, likes to attend theater plays, gallery openings, literary nights, round-table discussions and other similar events that take place around Kragujevac, a city in Central Serbia. When Ristic comes back home, instead of the traditional paper and pen, his computer awaits him.” Find out what Ristic has been writing lately in Ljubisa Bojic’s excellent feature piece.

Egypt: Bloggers Among Egyptian Demo Detainees

In the first of two posts following the fates of Egyptian bloggers detained for protesting recent amendments to the constitution, Amira Al Hussaini describes the mood in downtown Cairo, both online and off.

Egypt: Arrested Activists and Bloggers Released in the Desert

Arrest them downtown and release them in the desert? In her follow-up post, Al Hussaini reveals what life is like behind bars in an Egyptian detention center and how one judge is hoping to silence cyber-dissent.

Mozambique: Blasts Kill Dozens in Maputo

“Citizens don’t seem to trust the media to find out the thruth about the tragedy,” writes Jose Murilo Junior in his coverage of online reaction to the deadly blasts at Mozambique’s largest arms depot in Maputo. As soldiers comb through the capital city’s working class neighborhoods for live munitions, bloggers want to know why 20 tons of obsolete explosives from the country’s civil war era were stockpiled in a dangerous depot.

Armenia off balance: Government resigns over PM’s death

Just a month and a half before parliamentary elections, Andranik Margaryan, Armenia’s longest serving Prime Minister and head of the ruling Republican party, died of a heart attack at a time, according to Artur Papyan, “when stability is crucial for the country.” Here are the initial reactions by local bloggers.

Lebanon: Spring, Art and Dilemmas

In a fitting homage to the rebirth that comes with spring, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the vernal equinox in Lebanon. “Bloggers tend to post more about love, nature and sunshine, reflecting the general upbeat mood,” says Moussa Bashir. “Even the political posts tend to be plans, strategies or analyses about how to make things better.”

Egypt: Free Kareem Rallies and What Kareem Wrote

We return to Egypt one final time today and return to the case of 22-year-old former Al Azhar University student, Abdulkareem Nabeel Sulaiman and his ongoing imprisonment for articles he wrote on his personal blog which allegedly insulted both Islam and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Want to know just exactly what it was that Kareem wrote? Amira Al Hussaini points the way.

Tunisphere: March 20, Mayans and Arabs

Tunisia’s Independence Day fell on the fourth anniversary of the United States’ occupation of Iraq, inviting inspection into modern interpretations of “colonization” and “independence.”

Russia: User Guide

Veronica Khoklova’s brief post focuses on the rallies that took place over the weekend in various parts of Russia, and on one blogger, in particular, who gets hold of a promotional booklet from a pro-Kremlin rally and describes it as “a brief user guide. For an extremely simple device. . . .”

Roundups

Post-election analysis of Hong Kong politics, troubles facing Russian universities, advertisements from Pakistan’s past, and much more can be found in today’s Global Roundups.

Now that I've got too much music ... I need someone/thing to tell me what to listen to.

David Sasaki: hour cat nap

Nepal: Roar against Internet Shutdown

What’s a blogger without internet access? Clearly not a happy individual. When the Internet Service Providers Association in Nepal, protesting the beating of a hotelier, decided to shut off internet access in the country for two hours each day, they learned what it was like to be on the business end of a wrathful blogger’s keyboard. Ujjwal Acharya reports.

Bahrain: Storms and D-cups

Two storms are making their way through the Bahraini blogosphere: one quite literal, the other with, shall we say, more figure. Two bloggers record their experiences of a sudden Thursday night dust storm. Ayesha Saldanha and company then fill us in on a debate over whether or not the American restaurant chain Hooters should be making its way to the Middle East.

Small taste of Chilean writers and poetry part I

“Chile is well known as a country of poets,” notes Rosario Lizana, “including Nobel Prize Winners Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (1945) and Pablo Neruda, one of the most influential poets of the 20th century (1971).” But as tomorrow’s aspiring poets and novelists take to the internet today, are we witnessing a rise of Lit 2.0?

DRC: Violence, Bloggers Trapped and Sleeping on Floor, Soldiers Looting

“Bloggers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been providing first-hand accounts of clashes” in the capital city, writes Ndesanjo Macha following Thursday night’s flare-up between goverment soldiers and troops loyal to Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former warlord turned senator and leader of Movement for the Liberation of Congo.

Prosperous Armenia party everywhere!!!

While Armenia gets ready for this year’s parliamentary elections, Artur Papyan fills us in on what’s behind the writing on the wall. Also: 15 years after the fall of the Soviet Union, how has democratic capitalism treated Armenia?

Kuwait: Are Bloggers Such a Threat?

Find out why The Diwaniya, a popular talk show hosted by political analyst Dr. Shafeeq Ghabra and aired on the government-run Kuwait Television Channel One, was taken off air without warning after an episode featuring several Kuwaiti bloggers and Bahraini blogger, Mahmood Al Yousif.

Bachelor Degree for President and the MP’s Laptop

The People’s Representative Council of Indonesia is considering an amendment to the constitution which would require at least a bachelor’s degree as eligibility to be considered for presidential candidacy. As it so happens, this would disqualify former president and would-be presidential candidate, Megawati Sukarnoputri. Also, free computers for MP’s: good investment or taking money from the people?

Kuwait: A Week Goes by

From the changing dynamics of Middle East business to social segregation at Kuwait University, from a bookstore that just couldn’t make it any longer to the country’s newest shopping mall, Abdullatif Alomar’s latest dispatch from Kuwait City has a bit of everything.

Syrian Blogsphere on Culture: Old Damascus Campaign, Norouz Day and “Tleebeh”

Once again, we find a community of bloggers hoping to rescue history from the bulldozers of “progress.” This time Syrian bloggers speak out against plans by Damascus’ city council to build over two historic bazaars. Also, reflections on “Tleebeh”, the traditional way for a suitor (accompanied by his entourage) to ask for his love’s hand in marriage.

Roundups

Malawians turn to blogging, development of Choor Dhar Hills in India, potential uses for Twitter in Africa, and much more can be found in today’s Global Roundups.

We just got back from seeing Brazil’s 65-year-old Minister of Culture, Gilberto Gil put on an amazing concert at UC Berkeley. I’m sure that Daniella Thompson will be writing about the show soon. Here are two tracks I recorded on my cell phone (and they sound like it):

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David Sasaki: @Juan, espero que salga el martes ...