David Sasaki

Global Voices in Persian Takes off

Global Voices continues to spread its linguistic roots. Hamid Tehrani introduces us to the newest Lingua site, this time making Global Voices content regularly available in Persian.

China: Citywide taxi strike

The Chinese media will not report on the taxi drivers strike in Henan’s capital of Zhengzhou, but thanks to John Kennedy’s translations, we are given a first-hand report.

Malaysia: GVO’s Jeff Ooi joins Opposition Party

At the end of the day, blogging your political opinions only goes so far in bringing about social change. Leading Malaysian blogger Jeff Ooi has decided to take his advocacy to the legislative level by joining the Democratic Action Party.

Uganda Responds - and Doesn’t - To “Stop Trying To Save Africa”

“It is always refreshing to see that we are of a fair number, those of us who are tired of seeing Africa used as a way to clear the conscience. We don’t need the West. Truth be told, we’d be better off if the West didn’t exist.” That is just one reaction to Uzodinma Iweala’s latest essay “Stop Trying to Save Africa.”

Japan: A Historic Election Defeat

While media across the world analyze the political shift in Japan following this weekend’s overwhelming defeat of the Liberal Democratic Party parliamentary elections, bloggers are stressing the need for change, writes Chris Salzberg from Tokyo.

Arabeyes: Muslim Brotherhood Egyptian Blogger Vanishes

Egyptian blogger Ahmed Saad Domah has vanished, according to the Blogger’s Observatory, which has been set up to monitor the arrests and harassment of Arab bloggers.

Across the Panamanian Blogosphere

Lastly we head to Panama, where discussions focus on the pending release of former military dictator Manual Noriega, markets in Chiriqui, tree tomato salsa from the tropics, and more.

Roundups

Protesting a new construction site in Armenia’s capital, protesters arrested in Kenya, questioning gay pride in Estonia … and lots more in today’s Global Roundups.

Brazil: About the 2007 Rio Pan-American Games

Jose Murilo Junior’s wrap-up of the Brazilian blogosphere shows how political divisions have colored much of the debate about last week’s plane crash and the inauguration of the Pan-American Games where President Lula da Silva was booed by his own countrymen.

Cambodian Blogger on Blogging

Tharum Bun interviews avid Cambodian blogger and information technology specialist Borin Ly.

Guatemala: Journalist’s Column Strikes a Nerve Among Bloggers

A prominent Guatemalan writer and columnist recently lampooned his nation’s bloggers for their fragmented style of expressing ideas and analyzing news and events. In the end he also helped unify the Guatemalan blogosphere.

WE WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!

As Iraqi contributor Salam Adil puts it: “You know, a few years back an Israeli, seeing that I was reading a book about Palestine, pointed out to me that the Palestinians never once created a national basketball team, how could they claim to be a nation? Well, by his benchmark, Iraq is the greatest country in the world this week. And here are the bloggers words to prove it …”

Arabeyes: Singers Banned in Syria and Terrorist Arabs at All Airports

While famous female singers are frequently banned from performing in Syria, more and more Arab men are finding themselves essentially banned from international airports. We learn more thanks to Amira Al Hussaini’s translations from Arabic.

Roundups

Potter piracy in India, subverting keyword filters in China, Design Africa … and lots more in today’s Global Roundups.

Philippines: Anti-Terror Law takes effect

The Philippine government claims the newly implemented Human Security Act (HCA) is a fundamental step toward deterring terrorism. The political opposition, however, is worried that the HSA might be used to quell legitimate dissent.

Iraq: Goooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaal !!!!!

With Iraq through to the finals of the Asian Cup, bloggers are alight with comment on the national team. And there’s more, read about how one Iraqi blogger has had enough of blogging; how to survive a trip through Baghdad International Airport; what it is like to have the Iraqi army move in next door; Why Iraqi oil is so critical to the world and much, much more. And, if you read to the end, why one blogger got banned from YouTube.

Korea: Remember 518

History has come alive once again in Korea following the release of Remember 5.18, a new movie which retells the events that took place during the 1980 violent suppression of a popular uprising in Gwangju.

Touring Libyan Blogs: Health Sector, Old Ladies, Confrontating a Racist Bully, Globetrotting and Another Libyan Writer

While rumours and speculation still abound regarding the release of six foreign medical workers charged with conspiring to deliberately infect 426 children with HIV in Libya, local bloggers are shifting their focus to the status of health care, the archetypical evil step-mother, and a blogger-scientist who has published a collection of short stories.

Bahrain: The Return of the British ‘Butcher of Bahrain’

Ian Henderson, the so-called British “Butcher of Bahrain”, is back in the island kingdom and local bloggers aren’t happy about it. Also, the sounds of summer nights and Bahrain’s first female bloggers meetup.

Bangladesh: The threat of floods and current politics

It is that time of year again in Bangladesh when the street drains can no longer keep up with the steady rhythm of monsoon rains. Also: the politics of anti-corruption.

Japan: Protester nearly killed at Henoko Bay

An activist protesting environmental surveys currently being conducted in Henoko Bay in preparation for the construction of a new military base was reportedly nearly killed when government-contracted divers attacked him. While the Defense Facilities Administration Agency denies the incident, the activist himself, pastor Taira Natsume, released a statement last Thursday which confirms the sequence of events as he experienced them.

Morocco: The Intellectual Capabilities of Sheep

The summer temperatures continue to rise, rise, rise, but Moroccan bloggers keep on typing. This week we learn about a trial involving two journalists accused of leaking top secret security information, the differences between French and Moroccan culture, and indisputable evidence that sheep are not the smartest animals on the farm.

Palestine: The Plight of Women

Jillian York takes a break from the usual political bent of the Palestinian blogosphere to focus this week on the status of women, including an interesting dicussion prompted by the provacative question, “What is the connection between rape and veiling?”

China: To blog to dream

Two American bloggers based in southern China’s Guangzhou city are gearing up for a year’s worth of blogging trips which will take them through all twenty-two provinces in mainland China and see them raising funds for charities, offering scholarships for Chinese students to go study in the West as well as raising funds to cover medical costs for people struggling with cancer back in the heavily-industrialized Pearl River Delta, where cancer rates run high.

Kuwait: Pictures, Sights and Events

Abdullatif Al Omar’s latest dispatch from Kuwait describes the difficulties faced by small business owners today, what it was like to be a teenager during the 90’s, and how online and print media reacted to the arrest of an infamous pedophile known as the “Hawali Monster”.

Roundups

The “Stop trying to save Africa” debate, photos of an Amazonian market in Peru, the controversy around ‘deras’ in Punjab, India … and lots more in today’s Global Roundups.

Chile: A Controversial Agreement with Microsoft

While some Latin American leaders like Hugo Chavez and Ecuador’s Rafael Correa have openly expressed praise for open-source software, Chile’s Economy Minister Alejandro Ferreiro has received criticism for signing a deal with Microsoft to promote digital literacy using Microsoft products.

Uzbekistan: Domestic violence, a prison for Uzbek Paris Hiltons and “Iran, go home!”

The Uzbekistan Womens Blog has brought up the important issue of domestic abuse and how it is becoming ingrained in Uzbek culture. Also: the Uzbek football player who took a political stand at the Asian Football Cup in Malaysia.

Fighting HIV/AIDS in ‘post-Islamist’ Sudan

Khartoum-based Tunisian blogger Zied Mhirsi argues that Sudan, in contrast to its northern neighbors, has already moved into a ‘post-Islamist’ period marked by an increasing openness to modern ideas, writes Francophone Editor Jennifer Brea.

American Blogger in the land of “Down with USA”

Hamid Tehrani interviews Tori Egherman who, after four years of living and blogging in Iran, has returned to the U.S. and published a book of photos and essays about her experience there.

Qatar: It’s getting hot in here

“The arrival of summer in Qatar usually means an exodus of both locals and expatriates who can afford a vacation somewhere with a more welcoming climate,” writes Mohamed Nanabhay. “As temperatures rise above 45 degrees Celsius (over 110 Fahrenheit) bloggers in Qatar are discussing how to deal with the heat (and humidity).”

Madagascar: Community, Identity and the Malagasy diaspora

When you speak of the Malgasy blogosphere, you’re describing a community much braoder than ‘just’ the East African island of Madagascar. Diaspora bloggers, writes Lova Rakotomalala, are found in Vietnam, Canada, France, Italy, and beyond. They discuss increasingly varied topics and do so in Malagasy, French, Italian, and English. But more often than not, the conversation returns to issues of identity.

Roundups

On Harry Potter and Iraqi children, hiding Beijing’s migrant workers for the Olympics, a change a coming in Cuba … and lots more in today’s Global Roundups.

Peru: Polls, Strikes, and Independence Day

“As Peruvian Independence Day approaches on July 28, the atmosphere in Peru is becoming increasingly festive and the Peruvian national colors, red and white, are cropping up everywhere,” including the blogosphere writes Juan Arellano from Peru. But in the political arena, there is little to celebrate as Peruvian bloggers explain.

Arabeyes: Internet War Continues in Egypt

Most of us are used to paying more at petrol stations these days, but what if the cost of internet access went up as much as the cost of filling up our gas tanks? That’s what Egyptians are facing come September.

China: Blogging summer floods

Over 67,000 people have been evacuated and 37 have died in and around Chonqing as the flooding waters of the Huahi river continue to rise. The Chinese blogosphere has also been flooded; this time with disaster relief citizen reporting.

Hidden Message To The Burmese Junta Published In Myanmar Times Newspaper

A good-natured advertisement from a Scandinavian travel agency or a subversive hidden message to Burma’s ruling junta? May Hnin Phyu explains how a project of protest by Danish artists has been bounced around by Burmese bloggers.

Kurdistance: A Victory in the Turkish Elections

While the Turks have had some mixed reactions to the outcome of the recent Turkish parliamentary elections, Kurds have been rejoicing as potential Kurdish parliamentarians have exploited a loophole in the election system and gained a foothold in the Turkish parliament, writes Deborah Ann Dilley.

Egypt: Soccer Counters Terrorism, Blogger Helps Drug Addict, Blogging Egypt’s History and More

Can soccer help counter terrorism in the Middle East? Can a weblog create interest in Napolean’s invasion of Egypt? And, for that matter, can a blogger help one of her readers to quit heroin?

D. R. Congo: Miracle-peddlars, musical hippos and scary lightbulbs

As human beings we have an incredible capacity to adapt to hardship. But, writing from Kinshasa, one Congolese blogger wonders if that is part of the problem. Also: park rangers continue their online and offline conservation efforts.

Bangla blogs discuss evolution - Of life, blogs and women power

Aparna Ray presents us with the many discussions and debates by Bangla bloggers this past week including: what makes a blogger? what is the best Bangla blogging software? are evolution and religion mutually exclusive? and how will female presidents around the world change the political landscape?

Roundups

The commodification of poverty in South Africa, the seven wonders of the Caribbean, Malaysia’s crackdown on bloggers and Indira Gandhi’s muzzling of Indian press in the 1970s … and lots more in today’s Global Roundups.

Reactions to kidnapping of Koreans in Afghanistan

Demanding immediate withdraw of South Korean troops from Afghanistan, Taliban fighters kidnapped 23 Korean missionaries on their way from Kandahar to Kabul. Hyejin Kim translates various responses from the Korean blogosphere.

Colombia: Inside and Out at the Colombiamoda Fashion Show

Are we more than our clothes? Colombian bloggers were obsessing this month over the local media’s obsession with the Colombia Moda fashion show.

Kyrgyzstan: Wedding season

Kyrgyzstani couples choose the summer months to get married, writes Ben Paarmann. As the ceremonies portrayed by bloggers are mostly Western in style, they convey a different, somewhat “non-exotic” image of the landlocked Central Asian republic. From white doves to violins, the Kyrgyzstani dream wedding seems above all one thing: expensive!

Japan: Ground Zero at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa

On July 16, shaken by a massive earthquake originating in a fault line that apparently runs directly underneath it, a power generator of one of the reactors of the world’s largest nuclear power plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, burst into flame and started billowing black smoke. Chris Salzberg’s translations offer us a first-hand account by a Japanese politician as well as pointed criticism of how the government handled the crisis.

India At 60: New Book on Partition of India, First Woman President and A Film on Gandhi’s Son

Next month will mark the 60th anniversary of when British India was partitioned into the independent nation states of India and Pakistan. A new book on that bloody event inspired film director and blogger Shekar Kapur to remember his parents’ pain resulting from the partition. Also, thoughts about India’s first woman president and a controversial new movie about Gandhi’s oldest son Harilal.

Turkey is Typing….Election Issue

Despite recent protests, Turkey’s ruling AKP party was victorious in last Sunday’s parliamentary elections. Deborah Ann Dilley guides us through the pre-election speculation, the first-hand accounts of voting, and the post-result political analysis of Turkish bloggers.

Roundups

Student activist executed as a gang member in Iran, a guide to legally set up an independent blog in China, Tajikstan investing in tourism on the Caspian Sea … and lots more in today’s Global Roundups.

Bolivia: Historic Rally in La Paz Provides Opportunity for Journalism 2.0

A mass rally in Bolivia’s capital was an opportunity for Bolivian bloggers to practice what they have dubbed ‘journalism 2.0.’ “Even though everything did not go as planned,” writes Eduardo Ávila, “it was these new technologies that allowed them to overcome some obstacles and continue this experiment.’”

Palestine: Condolences to Dr. Mona El Farra and Many Others

The best blog posts from the Palestinian blogosphere are not always the happiest. While many around the world are celebrating the victory of the Justice and Development Party in Turkey and the release of the final Harry Potter book, others are suffering, writes Jillian York.

Podcast: Intro to the Nari Jibon Project

Just three weeks ago the Nari Jibon center in Dhaka, Bangladesh was announced as one of five recipients of the first round of Rising Voices outreach grants. This introductory podcast offers some background information to Bangladesh, the current status of Bangladeshi women, and how the Nari Jibon project aims to use citizen media to help empower the voices of young women from Dhaka.

Roundups

Trying to scare bloggers in Malaysia, reflecting on the third anniversary of the Kenyan Blogs Webring, on moving Kyrgyzstan’s capital … and lots more in today’s Global Roundups.

Eduardo Arcos on how he conquered the Spanish-speaking blogosphere and why he moved to Madrid from Mexico City. [ES]

Brazilian blogs on another airplane crash

While still facing a much-blogged crisis in air traffic management, and not yet recovered from the crash of a Boeing-737 over the Amazon ten months ago, Brazil was shaken last week by yet another airplane disaster.

Nigeria: Talking About Aggregation, Copyright and Professionalism

Who knew that when the people behind Naijalive.net decided to set up an aggregator (or an “aggregator” of a different kind, as they put it), their efforts would lead to a major discussion about aggregation, copyright and professionalism?

Tajikistan: Meet The New Changes

This week’s round up of blogs in Tajikistan moves from the heroin trade to the cotton trade, and lingers on a new law that will restrict the activities of all religious groups.

Arabeyes: Online Democracy, Water Conservation and Crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood Activists

There is good news and bad news in this week’s Arabic translation. There are promising new e-democracy initiatives in Jordan, but more media censorship and arrests of student activists in Egypt.

Honduras: An Introduction to Honduran Blogs - Part 2

The average Honduran uber-geek is male, under 30, loves Linux, updates his blog thrice a second, and is a master web designer. Many of these blogs are sleek eye-candy masterpieces, with great content…

Roundups

Afghan king is dead, election violence in Jamaica, three gold medals for Sudan …and lots more in today’s Global Roundups

Nigeria: Two Heroic Nigerian Cops; Borderless Office

This week’s blog round-up begans from Nigeria, where Yomi shares a rare story of two brave Nigerian policemen who braved the odds to fight-back about 30 well-armed bank robbers with one of the policemen loosing his life in the process.

“Welcome to Japan”? Kurdish refugee family leaves for Canada

Life isn’t easy for refugees in Japan. A Kurdish family seeking asylum in Japan for years, finally gives up and sets off for Canada where their application has been approved. Japanese bloggers see them off, and wish them well.

Peru: Protests in Pucallpa Against Increased Fuel Tax

The Peruvian government announced that it will no longer provide tax benefits for fuel for residents of the jungle region of Pucallpa. Some Peruvian bloggers give their opinions on the matter in the midst of a wave of protests across Peru.

Kuwait: Here & there

Kuwaiti bloggers are talking about their present and past this week. While two bloggers are looking into their surroundings for inspiration and futuristic projects, another is diving into history to reinstate the rights of Kuwaitis to decide on their own fate.

Angola: Blogging from inside the country (I)

A journalist in the interior of Angola reflects on hunger, conflict, climate and energy politics in his Portuguese-language blog. Koluki translates his report.

Roundups

The 13 Wonders of Mexico, online advertising in Peru, Congolese zoo displays pygmies …and lots more in today’s Global Roundups