Global Voices 
Global Voices is seeking to hire a Video Editor. 
THE JOB: The Video Editor will be responsible for keeping track of online citizen-produced video from throughout the world and selecting clips to be featured and contextualized in articles on the Global Voices web site 2-3 times per week. 
The Video Editor will work closely with the rest of the Global Voices editorial staff (managing, regional and language editors), and will also be expected to attend regular online editorial meetings. 
As GV is a virtual organization, the Video Editor will not be expected to relocate. 
Regular access to high-speed internet connectivity will, however, be a key factor in being able to carry out this job. 
THE REQUIREMENTS: Our ideal candidate has an international outlook and solid experience in blogging and online citizens' media with a special emphasis on online video. 
Solid English-language writing editing skills are a must, but a strong familiarity with the current tools, web sites and trends in online video worldwide is important. 
S/he has the ability to work independently and responsibly with only remote supervision. 
Ideally, s/he will have the ability to read and write well in at least one language other than English and have a working knowledge of other languages. 
Preference will be given to candidates from outside the United States and Western Europe. 
To apply, please send your CV and a letter of interest to editor@globalvoicesonline.org. 
The application deadline is Friday August 24, 2007. 

Egypt: Leonardo da Vinci an Arab? · Global Voices 
Issandr El Amrani links to an article which claims that Leonardo da Vinci may have been Arab. 

Bosnia & Herzegovina: "Enjoy Life" Video Campaign · Global Voices 
"Do a simple search on Google and Youtube, and you will come up with either genocide, extremist, war," writes Bosnia Blog about negative portrayal that prevails online. 
But "nicer things" do exist and to show them is the goal of the “Enjoy Life” video campaign. 

Jamaica: 45 Years Later... · Global Voices 
Jamaica has just celebrated 45 years of independence. 
Dennis Jones reflects on the nation's progress. 

China: Google and Baidu Spoof War · Global Voices 
William Long posted some spoofing videos produced by Google and Baidu, in which, Google called Baidu "hundred poisons" and Baidu mocked google as a foreign / alien company (zh). 
Spoof has become a popular genre for advertisement in China. 

Trinidad & Tobago: Technology Trap? · Global Voices 
KnowProSE.com has many questions about the impact of technology on our lives, but says, "one thing should be readily apparent. We can only do one thing at a time." 

Maldives: Secret Haven for Pedophiles · Global Voices 
Maldivian bloggers are expressing outrage over the prevalence of child sexual abuse in the country and the lack of firm action by the government to address the issue. 
Maldives has been rocked by the news of four rapists receiving a light sentence after a judge decided that because the raped girl did not shout or scream, it meant she gave consent. 
Moreover the rapists were banished to another island community where they could go on preying. 
In another incident a girl studying at a high school alleged that her mathematics teacher sexually harassed her during a tuition session. 
The school administration tried to downplay the incident and the foreign teacher was allowed to leave the country before an investigation was conducted. 
In a separate incident several girls from the remote island of Goidhoo alleged that their Koran teacher who is also the Imam of the island molested them. 
After a short investigation the Imam was allowed to return to the community. 
Maldives Health blog has discussed the issue here. This is it. 
Again. 
They have accepted it before. 
It has happened again. 
This time a twelve year old girl has been found to have “consented” for having sex with the god damn rapists. 
Just because she did not scream does not mean she consented. 
This is fu….. ridiculous. 
Angers me. 
A twelve year old girl will be so freaking terrified to utter a sound. Arrrgh… 
The blog says the Maldivian government takes ‘a silent and deadly approach to child abuse in the Maldives.’ 
Jaa’s blog criticizes the judge’s decision that the raped girl gave consent. 
I skim through Maldivian news now and then and try sink in the madness going about these days but none, absolutely none, has left me as unsettled and enraged as the news regarding the recent ruling on the case of a 12 year old girl being sexually assaulted by a group of 4 axe-wielding men. 
Maldives Today in a post titled ‘Paradise for Paedophiles’ narrates the history of child sexual abuse in the Maldives and concludes that the government has a history of not bringing the perpetrators to justice and pardoning convicted paedophiles. 
The blog criticizes Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the country’s dictator, for his lenient stance on abusers. 
The Maldives, as a signatory of the Convention on the Rights of the Child CRC, has been taken to task by the body for country’s deplorable child rights record. 
Not only has Maumoon Abdul Gayoom openly showed his support for child abusers, but he has never, in his three decades of office, introduced a single piece of legislature to protect children from sexual abuse. 
As a result the Maldives has seen a proliferation of paedophilia. 
A survey published this year has shed more light on the prevalence of child sexual abuse in the Maldives. 
According to its findings, one in three woman aged 15-49 years have experienced physical or sexual abuse while one in six women reported to having been sexually abused when they were under 15 years of age. 
Given that the survey focused only on females, social workers have rightly commented that the actual figure for child sexual abuse may be much higher. 
If figures for children of both sexes are taken into account, the Maldives may very well have the highest rates of child sexual abuse in South Asia, probably even the world. 
The findings of the survey have been downplayed by the minister in charge of protecting child rights, Aishath Mohamed Didi, who worked in UNICEF before she joined the dictator’s cabinet. 
Didi has told Minivan News that statistics for child sexual abuse in the Maldives fell within the norm of other countries. 
With a dictator and a cabinet minister defending pedophiles, the bloggers of Maldives are facing a rough battle but at least in the blogosphere the silent and well-kept secret of pedophilia in the paradise is no longer a secret. 

Korea: Don't Make Me Older! · Global Voices 
In Korea, there are two ways to calculate your age: the Korean way and the western way. 
Officially, the Korean method is the way to calculate your age in Korea. As soon as you are born, you are age one. 
No matter when you are born (like 31st of Demember), you will be two the next calendar year (Jan. 1). 
The Korean way of calculating age didn’t cause problems or bring about complaints from Koreans until recently. 
The more chances Koreans have to meet people from other places, the more confused they are to answer about their age. 
And they recognize that they are regarded older than other non-Koreans with the same age. 
In addition, due to this difference from the age calculation and misunderstanding, the statements of Comfort Women were recently almost regarded as false testimony. 
A netizen appealed to unify the age calculation system to the western method in a portal site, ‘Netizen Appeal.’ 
The appeal has gotten many responses. 

Nigeria: Black Superpower? · Global Voices 
Is Nigeria a Black Superpower?: "It is well known that Nigeria has the largest population in Africa, and the largest economy in West Africa; it is fairly well known that Nigeria's military has been intervening in hot spots in the region; it is perhaps even less known that Nigerian movies are now, all over Africa, what bollywood movies were in Nigeria when I was growing up in the 80s. 
Add all these together you get a Black Superpower." 

China: History of sex and culture · Global Voices 
Kenneth Tan from Shanghaiist blogs about the up coming Sexpo in Shanghai and a talk by Liu Dalin on the history of sex and culture in ancient China. 

Armenia: World Bank responds · Global Voices 
Confronted with allegations of corruption, the World Bank has now written a formal reply to Armenian blogger Onnik Krikorian. 
Onnik, however, thinks the Bank should launch an official and open investigation into the cause if it does not have anything to hide. 

Pakistan: Not an Emergency! · Global Voices 
With the whole country discussing the possibility of an emergency being imposed in Pakistan, All Things Pakistan hopes that it's just a rumour. 
Later today, it was confirmed that the government was not contemplating an emergency. 

Bangladesh: Floods and havoc · Global Voices 
The floods in South Asia are still causing havoc. imperfect world 2007 takes aerial photographs of the area around the Dhaka airport, showing large areas still under flood water. 

Kuwait: Pajamas in Fashion · Global Voices 
Bored Kuwaiti doesn't understand why some people leave their homes in their pajamas. 

India: Taslima Nasrin attacked · Global Voices 
Taslima Nasrin, the Bangladeshi writer in exile was attacked by a mob which included 3 members of the state legislative assembly belonging to Majlis Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen party in Hyderabad. 
IndieQuill has more. 

Ukraine: Tallest Man in the World · Global Voices 
Eternal Remont writes about the tallest man in the world - who now happens to be a 37-year-old Ukrainian. 

Slovenia: The Best and the Worst · Global Voices 
The Glory of Carniola shares five best and five worst things about Slovenia. 

Hong Kong: No Fur · Global Voices 
The World's top model Joanna Krupa took a nude photo to promote no fur campaign in Hong Kong. 
Littleoslo found the poster design very unattractive. 

Uzbekistan: Helping Russia · Global Voices 

Documentary on Workers Rights in the Gulf · Global Voices 

Tunisia: Baklava Newspapers · Global Voices 
This is an ad which appeared in a Tunisian paper, urging readers to subscribe in return for a package of almond baklava. 
We don't even know whether this falls within the terms of conditional sale or whether it is as part of the modern techniques of marketing... 
At any rate, it is a good move which opens the door for competition, overtaking the market and makes us aspire for better things such as "with this issue ask for the supplement and a free cake" or "more dessert for whoever subscribes before the Prophet's Birthday" or "Is your wife expecting? 
Subscribe now and win a gift for free." 

Buying condoms in Sudan · Global Voices 
In Sudan, the possession of a condom can be considered a sign of planning to have extramarital sex. 
But as Zizou from Djerba writes, he's seeing condoms on sale in pharmacies, grocery stores, and hair salons. 
"I'm really impressed by these government officials who take risks out of a sense of duty." 

Japan: Giant mechanical O-nyudo doll · Global Voices 
Edo introduces a giant mechanical O-nyudo doll in Pink Tentacle. 
O-nyudo is a Japanese legendary monster that can cause people to fall ill simply by looking at them. 

Sierra Leone: facts about Sierra Leone elections · Global Voices 
Facts about the Sierra Leone elections: * More than half of the voters are under 35 years old. * There are 7 presediential contenders. 

Egypt: Travelling Heavy · Global Voices 
Egyptians pack up their entire homes with them when they go on holiday, jokes Zeinobia. 

Bahrain: 36th Independence Day! · Global Voices 
Bahrain marks its 36th day of independence from Britain, says blogger Mahmood Al Yousif. 

Mongolia: Street children · Global Voices 
Bonnie Boyd links to a Worldvision video documenting the plight of Mongolian street children. 

Moldova: Migrant Workers & Economy · Global Voices 
According to TOL's Moldova Matters, "Moldova is ranked second in the world after Togo, in the list of countries with economies that depend on money sent from abroad" by Moldovan migrant workers. 

Pakistan: Talibanization · Global Voices 
KO presents a timeline of Talibanization of Pakistan. "It didn't just creep up and hit an entire country on the head yesterday, it was a long time cooking." 

Japan: Contraception · Global Voices 
Neomarxisme blogs about the use of contraception in Japan: Japan is the one of the only countries on Earth where condom use declined in the 1990s and 70% of Japanese women would never even consider trying oral contraceptives. 

Zimbabwe: Mugabe blacklists Global Voices Online · Global Voices 
The government of Zimbabwe blacklists Global Voices Online: "Evidently, Global Voices is one of the sources of “‘virulent propaganda’ to delegitimise ‘our just struggle against Anglo-Saxons’.” 
We’re one of 41 websites blacklisted by the ZANU-PF government, a list that includes the Washington Post and CNN, as well as the personal blog of our Zimbabwe correspondent, Zimpundit." 

Trinidad & Tobago: What Ails the Windies... · Global Voices 
Vaneisa Baksh thinks that the West Indies Cricket Board would do well to listen to Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan's take on what ails West Indies cricket. 

Russia: Racism · Global Voices 

Argentina: Carpooling Match Site · Global Voices 
Blog Pasa en Buenos Aires writes about a new site called Comparte Coche , which is a way for commuters into the city of Buenos Aires to find carpooling matches, which will help to reduce transportation costs and be a little easier on the environment. 

Turkey blocks popular blogging platform WordPress.com · Global Voices 
The popular, and free, blogging platform WordPress.com has been blocked in Turkey and those who are trying to visit it are seeing this message: “Access to this site has been suspended in accordance with decision no: 2007/195 of T.C. Fatih 2.Civil Court of First Instance.” 
“I didn’t realize Turkey had a great firewall like China. 
This is really unfortunate because we have a really passionate Turkish community that gets about 12 million pageviews a month,” the founding developer of WordPress, Matthew Mullenweg, said. 

Pakistan: 60 years of film · Global Voices 
Metroblogging Lahore on the sixty years of Pakistan's film industry, based in Lahore. 

India: Tamil Blog Camp in Chennai · Global Voices 
On August 5th 2007 tamilbloggers.org conducted a blogcamp in Chennai, India. 
More than 300 people attended the blogcamp Almost double the number expected. 
Tamil Blogs have been in vogue for around four and a half years. 
In the beginning almost all initiatives to propagate blogging in Tamil took place on the Net. 
Later, efforts were taken up slowly all over the world from Singapore to Toronto to Sydney. 
As interest grew, bloggers from India started growing by leaps and bounds. 
And the year 2007 saw tremendous growth in the number of blogs and in efforts to popularize Tamil Blogs. 
Earlier in May 2007, a small blog conference took place in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. 
That acted as a catalyst for the blog camp that took place in Chennai on August 5, 2007. 
Around 30 bloggers worked round the clock for the past couple of months and around 1000 mails were exchanged in their mailing group. Everybody pulled strings to make thing happen. 
The University of Madras offered space for the blog camp. internet providers SIFY enabled free internet access. 
Donations were procured from business organizations and other bloggers. 
This blogcamp took place on two different levels. one was devoted for existing bloggers where discussions took place in an unconference style. 
The true measure of success of such camps are the attendees. 
This blogcamp is a true winner too, in that regard. 
Many of them started a gmail account followed by a blog. 
For some of them, it was the first time seeing Tamil on the Net. 
An older couple aged around 70 years attracted everybody`s attention. 
Mr. Nallaperumal, a retired teacher expressed his desire to blog about his experiences in education. 
A few physically challenged persons attended the conference and some of the visually impaired folks requested ways and means to blog. 
They were told about audio podcasts. 
Phone numbers were exchanged and they were promised further assistance. 
Theirs were not the only phone numbers that changed hands. 
Almost everybody who attended the conference was given personal assistance. 
And the organizers are expecting at least 50-100 new bloggers. 
More than anything, this blogcamp has acted like a catalyst and Tamil bloggers from around the world are all in deep discussions with fellow bloggers in their cities. 
Almost all the out-of-town bloggers who attended the conference seem eager to conduct similar blogcamps in their city. 
Tamilblogdom is eagerly looking for the next announcement. 
Free CDs with necessary software to write in Tamil were given out with a few memorabilia. 
Interestingly, no admission fees was charged, with lunch and refreshments on the house! 
Posts used to write this entry: 
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. 

Iraq: Witness to a Car Explosion · Global Voices 
Iraqi blogger Sunshine was terrified by a car bomb which rocked her neighbourhood, shattering the windows of her house, hours before a scheduled fishing trip for the family. 

Kuwait: Where is the Oil Money? · Global Voices 
Zed from Kuwait wonders where all the oil money made by Arab countries is spent, when there is only one Arab university among the world's top 500 institutes of higher education. 

Bahrain: Importing Terrorists · Global Voices 
Bahraini blogger emoodz wonders how an alleged terror suspect was welcomed to Bahrain, despite earlier terrorism charges made against him in Saudi Arabia. 

The Global Voices Show #5 · Global Voices 
Finally, episode 5 of the Global Voices Show! 
In this edition we feature excerpts from the following podcasts: 
Gastronautics - Maldives 
Budacast - Hungary 
The Kimchi Girls - Korea 
Also featured on this show are the following music tracks: "Black Heart" by Kou Chou Ching and "In Development" by Gordon's Suitcase, both remixed by Moshang and appearing on the collection "Asian Variations". 
This episode of The Global Voices Show is available in the following formats: 
- MP3 (16:50 min; 15.5 MB) 
- Enhanced AAC (16:50 min; 16.6 MB) - with embedded images and links. 
For iTunes and owners of later model iPods. 
Or subscribe to this podcast using any of the following links: 
MP3 (all Global Voices podcasts) - RSS | iTunes (podcast page) | iTunes (direct subscription link) | Odeo 
AAC (Global Voices Show) - RSS | iTunes (podcast page) | iTunes (direct subscription link) Podcast: Play in new window | Download 
Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS 

Bangla blogs: It's all about Taslima · Global Voices 
On August 9th, the firebrand Bangladeshi author-in-exile Taslima Nasrin was attacked by a group of MIM (Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) activists during a function held at the Press Club in Hyderabad, India. 
The MIM claimed that the author had made offensive statements against Islam during the book release function, thus inciting the attack. 
The group have also lodged a police complaint based on which a case has been lodged against Taslima under Section 153-A (inciting enmity between different groups) of the Indian Penal Code. 
Bangla author Taslima Nasrin being protected from hecklers at the Press Club in Hyderabad. 
Photograph:Noah Seelam/ AFP 
On the other hand, the attack has been strongly denounced by the media and public and the government has been criticised for its soft approach towards the attackers. 
The incident is quickly taking on a political dimension. 
With local elections round the corner, experts say that the MIM is likely to use it as a tool to mobilise Muslim votes. 
The attack has created ripples in the Bangla blog world as well. 
The Hidden God strongly denounces the attack on the author. 

Bangladesh: Students, clashes and a curfew · Global Voices 
Following the trouble at the Dhaka university, a curfew is announced in Bangladesh. 
More as Rezwan tracks the developments. 

India: Orkut and the death of a teenager · Global Voices 
The online Indian community is rattled by the recent death of 16-year old Adnan Patrawala of Mumbai. 
Apparently Adnan was lured by his friends on Orkut and was later found murdered. 
Is Orkut responsible for the murder of this young teenager? 
Orkut has millions of users in India. 
Police investigations reveal that the plot to kill Adnan was planned on Orkut and mainstream media is pointing fingers at Orkut and holding the social site somehow responsible for this unfortunate murder of Adnan. 
Tapan Shah in his post Orkut and Media, points out that technology cannot be held responsible for the death of Adnan. 
Other media, it seems fails to accept Internet as a legitimate media. 
I see this mentality time and again displayed by the mainstream media (television and newspapers -vernacular as well as english both) to either raise an issue or just blame the technology, whenever something wrong happens in the society?...For god sake, Internet is just a medium, it is no killer." 
Vivek of The Red Pencil writes: 
This incident sure to cause a reverberation in the online community. 
As teachers and educators we have a responsibility to help protect our students again such act. 
The correct response would be a blanket ban on sites like Orkut and Facebook in schools, I can see this as a very likely knee-jerk response to this event. 
A better approach would be continuing education about the possible consequences of undiscretionary online behaviour, much like the talk students get (or should get) today about sex education. 
Students have to be told, with examples like this unfortunate incident involving Adnan, that dangers exist and like one would not share personal information with a stranger or accept food from someone you didn’t know similar behaviours were inappropriate even when the other were a virtual entity at a computer screen miles from home. 
Vani of A Whimsical Mind wonders about the unfortunate murder of Adnan and writes: 
What is it that lures a youngster to meet strangers over the internet ? its possibly the fast life that they love to lead or probably the sudden adrenalin rush on meeting strangers ? 
Well whom do we blame ? is it the advanced technology we blame , easy money ? , the website for no regulations or is it the parents who have no clue what their children are upto. 

Namibia: Digital tools for development · Global Voices 
Gerard writes about LearnLink Project in Namibia: "I will simply start with LearnLink, especially their LearnLink Project: NAMIBIA that saw Ed's Net see the day of light." 

Africa: Leave Africa alone · Global Voices 
Communist Socks and Boots lashes out against One Laptop Per Child: "It based on the wrong assumption that kids will take it with them to hunt, or use it in their clay-wall classes. Or that they will need easy translation from English to local languages." 

Zambia: Donor money for cars and iPods · Global Voices 
Most people in Zambia want cars and iPods, writes Positively Zambian, but because of donor money available they set up organizations, which claim to fight poverty. 

South Africa: Who will follow Google to South Africa? · Global Voices 
Vinny expects more Internet companies to move to South Africa in the near future: "South African Internet usage has grown 120% in the past year, and it won’t be long until you see eBay, Yahoo & the others follow Google & Amazon’s recent foray (Amazon’s Cape Town office built EC2) into South Africa." 

Madascar: It takes a village to raise an idea · Global Voices 
It takes a village to raise an idea: "4 African bloggers from there have united on a project to make a difference. 
They aren’t just talking, they are doing something." 

Trinidad & Tobago: A Case for Condoms · Global Voices 
"The reality is that people are having sex, illicit or otherwise, with frightening proportions in our country being infected with HIV and other STIs." 
Ramblings and Reason makes a case for educating youngsters about being sexually responsible. 

Eiffel Tower Not 'That Big' · Global Voices 
Lebanese Mark, who lives in Kuwait, wasn't impressed with the Eiffel Tower during his trip to Paris and notes: "I was really expecting it to be much bigger. 
Weird." 

China: Porn crackdown targets online fiction · Global Voices 
Maya from DANWEI writes about the recent Internet crack down of erotic online fiction in China: this crackdown is part of China's general push to "clean up" before the Olympics. 

Jamaica: Surviving Dean · Global Voices 
"It actually feels wrong to complain about the ‘agony’ of waiting 4 days to get back electricity just so that I can watch tv and surf the net. 
After all, there are people who survived the hurricane and are still trying to figure out where they are going to live." 

Iran:Fox Attacks · Global Voices 
Robert Greenwald's short film, "FOX Attacks: Iran", outlines "the evidence from the station's own broadcasts, comparing their reporting before the Iraq war with what they are saying now about Iran." 

Greece: On Fire · Global Voices 
We've probably all heard it in the news by now: Greece is ablaze. 
Today the fires reached the ancient city of Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympics and home of the Olympia Museum, which houses one of Greece's greatest archaeological collections. 
Athens in Flames (From flickr user alefbetac) 
While the fires are still burning in the outskirts of Athens itself, this is what the Greek blogsphere had to say about this. 
The headline simply reads: "there are no words". 
CaliforniaKat, an American living in Greece, published a comprehensive post about what is taking place, a lists of major fires, the events leading up to it, and what can people do to help. 1. 
Loaded Russian helicopter (From flickr user nkdx) Tina, of Athena, says that Global Warming and arsonists are to blame for this disaster. 
The last two days I follow as all Greeks the wild fires in Greece. My feelings are pain and anger. 
I feel pain for the loss of human lives, for the forests, for the ecosystems that have been lost for ever. 
This is an unprecedented ecological disaster not only for Greece but for whole Mediterranean area.I feel angry and surprised the same time. 
The last few days I have heard a lot of possible causes for this disaster: arsonists seem to be the main and usual suspects. 
It seems that a lot of people have as main scope to destroy Greece. 
CLIMATE CHANGE or global warming betabug reports his own first hand observations on the fires, from his house in Athens. 
Forest fires are burning in the immediate surroundings of Athens again. 
Firefighter planes drone on over our building. 
We went up to the terrace and watched a couple of Canadair planes, a russian Beriev, and a helicopter. 
There's lots of smoke and appart from the fire on Ymittos (which we can clearly locate) there is a big yellowish cloud which we don't know if it's smoke or a normal cloud. 
Smoke from forest fires in Evia (From flickr user nkdx) 

Romania: Esquire · Global Voices 
The Romanian edition of Esquire is to be launched next week. 
Owlspotting writes: "Esquire will be a novelty on the Romanian magazine market, and the first outlet to promote long-form writing and narrative journalism. These forms are almost inexistent in Romania." 

Iran:Popular Programs in TV · Global Voices 
Farnam Bidgoli in Parsarts introduces some popular programs in Iranian TV and explains us the reasons of their success.We can see some video clips too. 

Egypt: Is Mubarak Dead? · Global Voices 
"I got a call late tonight from a friend asking, “is Hosni Mubarak dead?” 
I dont quite know where he got his information from but supposedly there is a rumor that Hosni..AKA “the Great Dictator” was airlifted to a hospital in Germany and that his fate is unknown and presumed dead!," writes Egyptian blogger D. B. Shobrawy. 

Oman: One Ramadhan Please! · Global Voices 
Omani blogger Sleepless in Muscat hopes all Islamic countries will mark the beginning of Ramadhan on the same day. 
"Hopefully, this time around we would stick to one date across the whole Arab & Islamic world instead of fooling ourselves and then stating that we 'never saw the crescent'," he writes. 

Copydude writes about various ways of mistreating foreigners in Russia - and about "word of badmouth," which certain Russian restaurant owners don't seem to know anything about: "According to customer service research, a dissatisfied customer complains to an average of eight other people about a bad experience. 
In the blogging era, you can probably put the figure nearer eighty." 

Palestine: Gul for Turkey · Global Voices 
Fayyad from Palestinian blog Kabobfest writes about Abdulla Gul's election as Turkey's president. "Ironically, some secular extremists in Turkey, too (have) issue with the fact the Gul’s wife, Hayrunisa, wears a hijab, which is banned from all Turkish public institutions, and (for) some reason terrifies some, especially when Mrs. Gul wears into the presidential palace," he writes. 

Israel: Aids Patients Buried Alive in Papa New Guinea · Global Voices 
Smooth Stone from Israel links to a story about how Aids patients are buried alive in Papa New Guinea. 

Bangladesh: Ex-Prime Ministers behind bars · Global Voices 
People say that there is never a dull day in Bangladesh politics. 
Today (September 3, 2007)early in the morning the military-backed (care-taker) interim government in Bangladesh had arrested former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on corruption charges. 
His son was also arrested on the same charge. 
Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying has detailed timeline of the events leading to her arrest. 
It was surprisingly a televised event as the news of the arrest was leaked and the media people were trailing the security forces convoy rolling to her house. 
Earlier in midnight a case was filed against her where she was accused of favoring her son misusing her power by awarding contracts to a local company, when she was in power. 
Her elder son is already behind bars and also facing corruption charges. 
She will share a makeshift detention center in the parliament compound with her longtime political rival another ex Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who was also detained on charges of corruption. 
Dozens of high profile Bangladeshi politicians and businessmen are behind the bar because of the governments ongoing battle against corruption and cleansing of the politics in Bangladesh. 
Bangladesh is under a state of emergency since January 11, 2007, when this interim government was formed. 
The Bangladeshi blogosphere has mixed feelings over this issue. 
Shafiur of imperfect|world|2007 is delighted to hear this news and is distributing misti (sweets) on the net. 
She and her son Koko have not been upfront about their various financial activities, and so it is hoped they will be helped to become more transparent in special quarters set aside for them. 
People were discussing since the arrest of Sheikh Hasina about one and a half months ago why no charges were being brought against Khaleda Zia. 
There are also speculations that a certain quarter is trying to get rid of these political icons and use the space to clinch power. 
The Voice of Bangladeshi Bloggers comments: 
Finally, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, the mother of all corruption, has been arrested by the army backed care taker government. 
They're now trying to balance their action by arresting Khaleda Zia. 
Khaleda Zia told in an exclusive interview with bdnews24.com hours before the arrest: 
"I'm not afraid of arrest. 
People are with me. 
The case against me is false." 
Dhaka blog comments on Khaleda Zia's remarks: 
I just don't like politicians from every party crying out "the cases against me are false" and "conspiracy" every time they suffer political intimidation. 
If there were really these many "conspiracies" in Bangladesh, our GDP would have shot up a bit more! 
But the question still remains whether this will pave the way towards restoring democracy in Bangladesh. 
Rumi writes in Drishtipat Blog ironically: 
A significant number of people have been blaming two main political leaders for all the vice of Bangladesh. 
Now as both the causes of the all the evil are effectively contained in jail cells, so a sun of eternal lasting peace is supposed to rise in the horizon today. 
People should start living in immense joy, peace and happiness. 
No more there should be any chaos, corruption, poverty, lawlessness, hunger, crime in this country. There would be everlasting peace. 
People commenting on this post also had mixed reactions. 
While some were gleeful and lauded the government one questioned: 
Interesting to see that we, Bangladeshis, judge situation by heart; not by brain. 
None of the allegations are proved against KZ or SH, though some bloggers are ready to hang them till death! 
The country is suffering from high inflation and recent unrest after riot broke out with students and police over withdrawing an army camp from a university campus led to declaration of curfew. 
The care-taker government promised holding of election by end of 2008 after completing a massive new voter ID project. 

Iraq: Is Islam the Solution? · Global Voices 
Iraq the Model asks : Is Islam the solution for ending the violence in Iraq? 
His answer is: "(R)eality proved that political Islam is in fact the problem, not the solution. 
And this is true not only in Iraq but in many other countries in the region that are full of political Islamist movements. 
Definitely not a golden age of any sort." 

Cuba: Pavarotti Passes On · Global Voices 
"He was a seminal tenor. 
His presence in opera, concerts and recitals was so ubiquitous that he almost single-handedly brought opera back into the mainstream of American and world culture," writes Babalu Blog, as he acknowledges the passing of Luciano Pavarotti. 

Arabeyes: Countdown to Ramadhan · Global Voices 
Ramadhan is a holy month in the Muslim calendar and it is celebrated in all Muslim countries, culminating with a feast or Eid after four weeks of fasting. 
Muslims are expected to stop eating and drinking, as well as refrain from sex and any 'impure' thoughts, from sunrise to sunset during this month. 
How are bloggers preparing for this month? 
Jordan: 
In Jordan, Naseem Tarawnah takes a look at the sanctity of Ramadhan, after reading a news article about the banning of the sale of liquor in bars, liquor stores, nightclubs and restaurants during the Holy Month and the closure of restaurants and coffee shops during the day in his country. 
"By the way, I don’t have a particular stance on the issue. 
Obviously I’d prefer to see this kind of stuff restricted to some extent but I’m a realistic person and I know that will never happen. 
Which is why I could care less if they close them or open them. 
Because I also know that Ramadan will be full of alcohol consumption, as Arabs (not tourists) scour the city in search of a drop to drink. 
The reality is that most people who drink in Jordan are in fact Jordanians and would by any other definition be considered drunks if not borderline-alcoholics. 
The ‘casual drink’ is non-existent. 
Liquor cabinets are probably being filled. 
As for Ramadan, well what can I say… 
Nothing is sacred anymore. 
That doesn’t surprise me," he notes. 
Morocco: 
Lady Macleod, who lives in Morocco, is looking forward for the month but is dismayed at the way some women carry themselves around in Rabat. 
"As I strolled through the Medina (town) on Saturday in search of drugs (the prescription kind) and yogurt (the Greek kind) walking side by side through the crowded streets were politics and nipples...I do not find this sexy. 
Perhaps the chaps do? 
That being said it is not appropriate for a Saturday walk in the Rabat Medina two weeks before Ramadan. 
Get a grip. 
Look at a map. 
Think where you are. 
I am neither Moroccan nor Muslim and it offended ME," she notes. 
Though not a Muslim, Lady Macleod also intends to fast the month. 
"The nice woman at the apothecary tells me it is two weeks to Ramadan. 
I must check my calendar as I intend to fast again this year. 
I found it a very spiritual experience last year. 
The comradely of the entire country honoring the spirit of Ramadan is uplifting. 
In spite of this effect, our friend Rebecca, who is a Muslim, had her wallet stolen during Ramadan last year. 
I loved her reaction, she yelled after the thief, “I’m a Muslim you bastard, and it’s Ramadan!” 
So not everyone perhaps is feeling the spirit, but for me it serves as an excellent reminder of my beliefs. 
There are no Buddhist Temples here, but I have my altar, and love and compassion are the same no matter the religion yes?," she explains. 
Syria: 
From Syria, Mustafa Hamido explains what Ramadhan means for him. 
He says: 
"Ramadan is next week. 
It is something special for us as Muslims and even for Christians who are living with us in Syria and the Middle East. 
You can say that it is a celebration and waiting for biggest one at the end of its 30 days. 
It is not an only fasting from the sunset to the sunrise. 
It is another way of life totally different from what we used to live during a year." 
From Bahrain, Silly Bahraini Girl fast forwards the month and talks about her experiences celebrating Eid, which like the beginning of Ramadhan doesn't start on the same day across all Muslim countries because of differences between the religious sects in the sighting of the new moon. 
"When we were growing up, having Eid start over a few days depending on which turban you followed was great. 
It gave us the opportunity to meet up with non-observant friends on the first day (which is usually the official one declared by Bahrain), then have lunch at one family house on the second and lunch in another house on the third! 
The problem actually happens when everyone observes Eid on the first day and you have to cram a million and one visits in the short span of a day .. and then make time to see friends and relax in a non-stress environment. 
Let's toss a coin and see what happens this year. 
Will it be a united Sunni-Shia Eid .. or an Eid spread over a few days while the long beards and turbans battle it out? 
Sigh.. 
Either way, I will celebrate Eid on the day I think it is appropriate!" she writes. 

Japan: Voters get the government they deserve · Global Voices 
Ampontan writes about the long-time "nexus of money, politics, and government" in Japan, translating a blog post on a book about the late Agriculture minister Matsuoka Toshikatsu, whose career famously ended in suicide. 
After highlighting numerous money scandals in Japanese politics, Ampontan notes that: "All the people we discussed for their involvement in scandals have either kept or recovered their Diet seats. 
As the saying goes, people get the government they deserve. 
And this is what the Japanese electorate deserves." 

Oman: Inflation Increasing · Global Voices 
Inflation is on the increase in Oman, writes Muscati, who adds: "Cost of food went up 11.1% in one month. 
Add the 9.1% the previous month and that's a 20% increase in just May and June!" 

Jordan: YouTube Solution for Job-Seekers · Global Voices 
"Nowadays eager job seekers are turning to places like You Tube to tout their marketable skills, prospective employers are reacting positively," writes Hatem Abunimah from Jordan. 

Iran:Pakistan, Turkey and We · Global Voices 
Mohmmad Ali Abtahi,former vice president, says recent political experiences of Pakistan and Turkey are beneficial for the officials who are worried about practicing freedom in Iran.Closing political atmosphere, taking aggressive approach against students, workers, women, internet, youth and political activists is dangerous for the security of the country. 

Japan: Controversy over the Gun-Shaped Lighter Incident · Global Voices 
Blogger Kikko writes about the case of an off-duty officer in Yokohama who was arrested after hitting a high-school student supposedly because the boy had been brandishing a lighter in the shape of a gun. 
Kikko explains that the media have twisted the story: the boy and some friends were joking with the lighter and asked to stop by train station staff, which they did. 
The officer saw the boy laughing after the incident and thought: "He's laughing so he hasn't reflected on what he's done," and then hit him. 

Iran: Dogs arrested · Global Voices 
The blogger Dastan reports on the arrest of dogs by Iranian police on September 9th, to rid the country of ‘western influences’ and ‘immodesty’. 
The dog owners are shocked at the arrests and are worried about the fate of their pets. 
Furthermore, dastan notes that the dogs are neither fed nor given water. 
The following pictures show some of the dogs that were arrested and the conditions they are being kept in. 
The blogger kamangir posts pictures of the dogs and notes 
Clearly, these dogs are not meant to live in the conditions they are being kept, but, anyways, they do not treat human beings anything better. 
Within kamangir’s post is a comment explaining one of the reasons for the dogs are being arrested, stating 
In Islam dogs are impure, so anybody who keeps dogs has, for example, wash his or her hands after petting dogs. 
I think that he/she has to clean carpet if the dog’s been there 7 times before praying on it, and so forth. 
That’s why IRI is so against keeping the dogs at home, they think that if somebody has a dog this person is not a good muslim. 
A pity, dogs are such a nice pets. 
Another commenter tedders asks some pertinent questions, including 
"Do “good” Muslims have any pets? 
Or does it depend on which branch of Islam or what mullah one decides to follow?" 
There have also been reports by other media outlets that a young man was arrested for putting up signs around his neighborhood looking for his lost dog. 
A young Iranian who was searching for his lost puppy in a Tehran neighborhood has been arrested and ordered to stand trial for 'moral corruption'. 
According to the Tehran daily, Etemad Melli, the young man was caught while putting up a notice in which he was promising a reward to anyone who found his dog. 

China: A Free Speech Court Case · Global Voices 
Liu Xiao Yuan, a lawyer, blogs about his lawsuit against a blog hosting company, sohu.com, for deleting his posts. 
The court dismissed his lawsuit on Sept 12 and he called up several local mainstream media for news briefing, but none of the newspapers released the news (zh). 

India: The Rama in Ramayana · Global Voices 
varnam comments on the specific issue of how "real" Rama of Ramayana was according to historical evidence, in the context of the Sethusamudram controversy. 

Pakistan: Trams in Karachi · Global Voices 
All Things Pakistan remembers the days when Karachi had trams. 

Cricket: Bangladesh's Twenty20 win against West Indies · Global Voices 
Those who condescendingly refer to the Bangladesh Cricket team as 'minnows' may already be eating their hats. 
As Bangladesh storms into the second round of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup tournament with an impressive six-wicket win against the West Indies, the Bangla blogosphere is exhilarated and furiously blogging their jubilation. 
Blogger Ershad Baadshah and many many others are thrilled that the home team has created history by beating the Carribeans. 
Pagla Babu congratulates the Bangladesh team for moving into the 'Super Eight'. 
He feels that finally these two cricketers are displaying their true potential. 
Lutfur Rahman reminds us of an earlier comment made by Brian Lara. 
In 2004, Lara had said that if the West Indies team lost to Bangladesh, then he would quit cricket. 
Rahman wonders if Lara had read the writing on the wall and imagined that one day his team would indeed bow to the little tigers. 
Blogger Ninduk points out another reason for Bangladesh to celebrate. 
The record for the quickest 50 (in 20 balls) in an International Twenty20 match is now held by Ashraful of the Bangladesh team. 

Africa: I came, I saw, I conquered. 
Then lied about it! · Global Voices 
"Colonial history, seen from the side of the colonists, can be summarised as follows: I came, I saw, I conquered. 
Then I lied about it," writes R. E. Ekosso. 

Japan: Monju reactor trial to begin Sept. 20th · Global Voices 
Blogger tokyodo-2005 writes about the famous sodium leak and fire at the Monju fast-breeder reactor in Fukui Prefecture (Japan) in 1995 and about the subsequent cover-up of a video taken immediately after the incident. tokyodo-2005 reports that a trial about the case is set to begin on Sept. 
20th at the Tokyo High Court. 

Bahrain: Job Hunting · Global Voices 
Tito84, from Bahrain, is looking for a job and has given us a breakdown of the troubles job hunters face in Bahrain where even educated candidates are offered BD200 ($530) monthly salaries. 

No Iraqis in Anti-war Rally · Global Voices 
Iraq Pundit attended an anti-war rally in Washington DC but .. "I didn't see any sign of Iraqis at all, though obviously, some might have been there. 
I saw no signs indicating that Iraqis had taken advantage of the march to demand that U.S. troops leave Iraq. 
In fact, you could be right in the middle of the protest, as I was, and hear no mention of Iraqis. 
At least I didn't." 

Saudi Arabia: Sex-segregated Sidewalks · Global Voices 
Sex-segregated sidewalks could soon become the norm in Saudi Arabia, reports Palestinian blogger Haitham Sabbah, who links to a news article. 
"Did prophet Mohammed ordered to have two sidewalks; one for men, another for women? 
It’s ironic to think of having a ‘women sidewalks’… I mean, how will they mark them? 
Paint them in pink?" he writes. 

Environment: Green Views from Africa · Global Voices 
Can you be a fan of Top Gear, cool looking fast cars and...the environment? 
What blogging event is slated for October 15th this year? 
What happens to all the computers donated to Africa? 
This week the answers to these uncommonly asked questions come from several bloggers out of Africa. 
Image courtesy of Greencars.za.net South Africa, where we begin with Carl Nienaber. 
A self described 'car nut' who is using his blog to explore and highlight cars that have a minimal environmental impact. 
His About page gives an exhaustive introduction, including the observation 
The mainstream South African motoring media is still very much within the traditional “petrol head” paradigm, where the most desirable attributes of a car are typically speed and performance. 
When environmentally friendly automotive technologies are covered in most of South Africa’s car publications, they’re either mentioned with an underlying tone of resentment (”green” developments are perceived as taking away from the fun factor of cars) or they’re praised for their benefits in terms of consumer costs savings. 
Fuel efficiency, for example, is typically given positive attention not for its environmental benefits, but for its cost effectiveness. 
Among his other posts is one about a September 2008 Solar Challenge Race in South Africa, which he is looking forward to and thinks that it '..should do a great deal to raise awareness of alternative energy in South Africa.' 
From Your Group of Web AddiCT(s) blog is a reminder about October 15th this year being a Blog Action Day for the environment. 
You can click on the image below to participate. 
We at GV would love to see your posts on that day too, so do feel free to leave a comment and we will definitely check with you on October 12th to cover what you say on that day (and any day) about the environment. 
From Urban Sprout, a post about the Coalition Against Nuclear Energy - CANE. 
Be sure to read the comments as there is a discussion about the safety of Pebble bed reactors.The post also highlights the goals of CANE, including the statement 
We believe we have to oppose this unilateral decision on the part of the Cabinet to determine a radioactive future for us all. 
Ordinary communities need to be heard and our Constitutional rights — especially our right to an environment free of radioactive pollution - must be respected – not eroded 
From Kenya enviro news blog, a thorough look at the problem of e-waste in Kenya, stating that it is a time-bomb, and set to get worse considering the fact that 'Kenya is at the verge of an IT revolution and the mobile phone industry is currently at more than seven million active lines.' 
Phil describes the escalating situation thus 
The situation at home in Kenya is reaching crisis proportions, the notorious Dandora Dumpsite in Nairobi’s Eastlands area, is choking with electronic waste ranging from obsolete television sets, computers, and fridges to mobile phones and batteries - all containing highly toxic substances. 
Apart from waste discarded by Kenyans, the country also received hundreds of container loads of e-waste each month from developing countries disguised as ‘donations’ 
He also provides links where readers can find more information about e-waste and specifically what they can do to be part of the solution. 
Omar of Basawad's Safari Notes posts some short excerpts and links to stories about the plight of polar bears. 
He notes at the end 
All animals and other living things on this Planet, rely on the environment and the habitat in which they live in; an environment and habitats which WE, humans, are supposed to be responsible of and for; but which we are systematically and surely destroying. 
To our own peril. Update: Please note that Blog Action day is on October 15th and not October 12th as earlier stated, thank you. 

Environment: UN Conference on Climate Change · Global Voices 
I am blogging live from the United Nations building in NY. 
I will tweet part of the conference and blog it as it progresses. 
A Short Intro and the sessions I will attend at the conference is available here. 

Environment: The UN Conference on Climate Change Part I · Global Voices 
- Thematic Plenary I - Adaptation - From Vulnerability to Resilience. 
Facilitator is Dr. Asha-Rose migiro Deputy Secretary General 
Co chaired by H.E Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark, and HE Owen Arthur, Prime minister of Barbados. 
Tweets here, and this post will be added to as the conference continues. 
During the meeting, presidents and prime ministers addressed the panel; speaking about their individual countries. 
Some of them mentioned how they were adapting (Netherlands, Mauritius and others) to climate change while others highlighted their major challenges. 
By and large most of the leaders acknowledged that climate change poses a serious threat to the planet. 
However, there was one exception. 
The delegate of the Czech republic said that he did not believe the Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report was balanced noting that there is no scientific consensus on climate change and that the UN should set up a panel to investigate the corollary arguments and conclusions made by the IPCC. 
He clearly does not believe that global warming is a problem. 
There was a light moment with applause when he joked that people need to save more energy and cool the room. 
The delegates from African countries all gave examples of the effects on climate change in their respective countries. 
The following statement by the president of Ghana in large part mirrors observations by the other African leaders about what the current situation is. 
In Africa and other poor developing countries, climate change is already making it difficult to guarantee the necessities fo life. 
These countries, including my own Ghana, are already feeling the impact of change resulting from our oft misinformed handlign of our environments and also from the effluence caused by the industrialized nations. 
Erratic rainfall patterns, droughts and desertification, floods and other weather related disasters are directly endangering human life and affecting agricultural productivity, food and water security. 
There were a few examples of how countries have been able to adapt to climate change. 
The PM of Netherlands pointed out that his country has been adapting to severe environmental effects for a long time, by developing and implementing innovative solutions such as advanced water management, building of dykes and floating houses. 
Other examples of what can be done to adapt to climate change: Re-forestation, use of renewable energy such as wind, solar and biomass (mentioned by representatives from Mauritius and madagascar). 
Island states are also very vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and the PM of Barbados mentioned during his closing remarks that it is a matter of survival to deal with Climate change. 
Tweets of Part II are here 
Note: Earlier this year, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report that mentioned that climate change will likely have a 'graver effect' on Africa. 
Please stay tuned for more Live from the UN. 

Chak De India - Go For It India · Global Voices 
Chak De India (Go For it India) is a Bollywood film that was released last month, and what an impact the film has on the pysche of Indians. 
In India Chak De India has become a magic mantra of sorts and Indian business schools are thinking of including the film in their curriculum. 
The film is about the vision and determination of a hockey coach, who molds the team's spirit and thinking and helps them win the world cup. 
In general, Indians are not known for their prowess in the sports field, except for cricket. 
Yes, in the world of cricket, Indian cricket players play a fairly decent game and have won quite a few matches. 
However, at the recently concluded Twenty20 World Cup in Johannesburg, the Indian cricket team led by Mahindra Singh Dhoni did an outstanding job and won the World Cup after a gap of 23 years. 
Many bloggers wonder if the Chak De India effect is responsible for the string of wins by India in cricket, football and hockey? 
Sanjay Goel's post captures the feelings of many bloggers in this sentencee: 
"Somehow the release of Shahrukh Khan starrer Chak De India has coincided with one of the best time for Indian Sports" 
Karteek of K World pursues a similar train of though and wonders if the film Chak De India's responsible for India's wins in the world of sports. 
Wondering whether a movie can bring Good Luck to a nation ? 
A definite logical answer to the question is "No". 
Not Just "No", but it's "NO!!!" 
But, let's trace through this time line 
August 10, 2007 - Chak De India starring SRK is released August 29, 2007 - Football, India won Nehru Cup September 9, 2007 - Hockey, India won Asia Cup September 24, 2007 - Cricket, India won T20 World Cup 
You will have to read Karteek's blog to find out about his analysis and the co-relation between a Bollywood film and the Indian sports team. 
Mutterings That Matter writes in his post Chak De India: 
"This win has eclipsed both of them as I have been waiting for 22 frickin years to be so happy. 
Congratulations Team India - T20 Champions…Chak De India…." 
Anand Krishnan's Musings writes: 
"But the icing on the cake is that in the past couple of months, Indian tennis, badminton, field hockey and soccer have all taken India to levels that were associated with non-Indian nations. 
It is this “broad based rally” in Indian sport that makes me want to say, “chak de India”!" 
The Chake De India effect is not lost on Dave of Dave's Travel blog. 
A baseball fan, Dave thinks he is on his way to becoming a cricket fan. 
In his blog post titled Chak De India he captures the mood of the nation during the final match between India and Pakistan at Johannesburg. 
"Luckily for me, the match started late and I arrived in time to witness a furious Pakistani comeback. 
They were on the verge of victory, and nationwide depression was beginning to take hold, until India salvaged a miraculous win! 
No sooner was the final ball caught than the firecrackers began exploding all over Mumbai." 
And, when the winning Indian cricket team landed in Mumbai yesterday they got a heroes welcome and the city came to a standstill. 
Guess what song was playing in the background as the team made their way through the city? 
Chak De India. 

Hindi: Cricket in the air and a martyr is remembered! · Global Voices 
It seemed as if all hell had broken loose on the evening of 24th September here in Delhi when Sreesanth took that catch of Misabh-ul-Haq that sealed for India the first ever Twenty20 World Cup!! 
I'd hardly blinked an eye and all of my neighbourhood was rocking with the wizzes & booms of fireworks!! 
The BCCI (Board of Cricket Control in India) president Mr.Sharad Pawar immediately announced an award of US$2 million for the team and about US$250,000 cash award for Yuvraj Singh for hitting 6 sixes in an over (six balls), a first in Twenty20 Cricket. 
Two days later the team came back home and as they landed at Sahar Airport in Mumbai, thousands thronged to catch a glimpse of them as the team paraded the jam packed roads of the city in an open bus. 
If that was not all, just about every player in the victorious team was showered with awards(cash, land etc.) by governments of their respective states as they saw opportunity to butter up their vote banks in this cricket crazy country. 
All this showering of affection and awards, however, didn't go down well with many. 
A number of people questioned the state governments' actions of showering cash when on other hand they plead lack of funds when it comes to other sports and improvement of basic facilities provided to players in domestic circuits. 
Many of the people questioning all this happen to be bloggers as well, so while Neeraj questioned the state of negligence towards national game hockey whose players have never been awarded even a quarter of what the cricket team got, some media persons, like Rajesh, got their chance to attack Gujarat chief minister Mr.Narendra Modi since his government didn't announce any award for the Pathan brothers who are from his state. 
Irfan Pathan played a key role in the World Cup final claiming 3 important wickets. 
Perhaps fearing political and media backlash for not making offerings to the gods of the moment, Modi government announced the cash awards for the Pathan brothers. 
However now that that issue has been taken care off, Rajesh pounced back on government for giving godly treatment to cricketers while hockey and its players are neglected!! 
Talk about turn arounds, this is the fastest I've seen in a while!! ;) 
But this is not all, some Indian Hockey Team players seem to be considering going on a hunger strike in protest against lack of awards for them after their recent win in Asia Cup while the cricket team got a truckload of goodies from state governments! 
Meanwhile, since a lot had already been written on Cricket vs. Hockey on the awards and rewards issue, Jitu wrote about his childhood days & his experiments with cricket, cricket is in the air afterall!! 
And India celebrated this 28th as 100 years earlier on this day a boy was born in a sikh family in Lyallpur(now known as Faisalabad which is in Pakistan). 
This boy was named Bhagat Singh who went on to become the most celebrated martyr in the Indian struggle for independence. 
Bhagat Singh, at the young age of 23, laid down his life for the nation & for his desire of independence from the British; he was hanged on 23rd March 1931 along with two of his less celebrated revolutionary friends Sukhdev and Rajguru. 
While a number of bloggers wrote on the occasion keying in their thoughts on the great martyr, I didn't find a single mention of Sukhdev or Rajguru who also got the hanging besides Bhagat Singh for just about same reasons, nor did I come across any tribute for Sukhdev on 15th May, the date on which this great revolutionary was born in 1907, just 4 months and 13 days before Bhagat Singh was born!! 
Feeling not-so-good thoughts/emotions at work inside, I didn't bother reading up on more Bhagat Singh tribute blog posts. 
Nothing against the great martyr but I feel that his two loyal friends who lived & died by his side sharing the same ideals have been robbed of their share of limelight which they very rightfully deserve! 
Links courtesy: Narad 

Arabeyes: What's Your Religion? · Global Voices 
Bureaucracy is a way of life in some Arab countries. 
Egyptian blogger Nora Younis shows us what happens when bureaucracy mixes with religious profiling, in this post I am translating from Arabic. 
There, I was surprised to discover that I was required to prove my religion and the religion of the lawyer I wanted to appoint. 
And because I wasn't planning to get married to the lawyer yet, it never crossed my mine to ask him about his religion before this. 
All that I wanted was a competent lawyer for a specific task and I don't think it will effect me or the Egyptian state whether he was Jewish or Shinto or even an adherent of the sacred carrot! 
Since there wasn't a law stipulating that a non-Muslim cannot appoint a Muslim, and a non-Coptic, a Coptic, I wasn't able to explain the situation other than that the Egyptian state forces citizens to discriminate against each other even when they did not want to do so. 
I never though the day would ever come that I would turn around to a stranger and ask him for his religion. 

Japan: Sumo Wrestling Takes a Beating · Global Voices 
It’s been a tough few months in the world of Sumo wrestling, Japan’s “national sport.” 
First, Mongolian wrestler Asashoryu, one of two yokozuna (the top wrestling class) returned to his homeland to undergo treatment for a mental disorder brought on by criticism that he shirked his duties, pretending to be ill, and then returned to Mongolia, where he was filmed playing soccer. 
Parts of the media decried how “Japan’s traditional sport” was being harmed by the influx of “foreign wrestlers” and “Japan’s traditional sport.” 
Anyway, the problems took a turn for the worse when it was revealed that in June, a 17-year-old wrestler named Tadashi Saito (his ring name was Tokitaizan), who had just entered the tough world of Sumo, had died following a training session. 
At first his stablemaster, Tokitsukaze arguedthat the death was due to exhaustion, but it has now turned out that Tokitaizan was “bullied” to death, and the stablemaster has since been fired by the Sumo Association. 
Many bloggers have discussed the treatment he received, which included being hit with an empty beer bottle. 
For example, one blogger writes: 

Celebrating festivals, feasting and donating smiles · Global Voices 
Last Saturday Muslims all over the world celebrated Eid ul-Fitr that marks the end of Ramadan. 
Abul Kalam Azad a Chennai blogger shares his experiences. 
His children eagerly distributing festival sweets to friends and neighbours, His youngest daughter preparing a project detailing Ramadan with her non-muslim friend's help. 
Azad ponders that one day his daughter might work with her friend on a similar project for Deepavali. 
Ketupat Rice Cakes 
With festivals can food be far behind? .:Myfriend:. from Malaysia shares information about Ketupat, an integral part of Eid ul-Fitr in Malaysia. 
The month of October also marks the beginning of the festival season for the Hindus. 
First comes Navarathri Navarathri literally means nine nights and the female deities are worshiped during this period. 
Kolu 
In Tamil Nadu, India special dolls are displayed in elevated steps named Kolu. 
Nanani from Tamil Nadu walks down the memory lane describing her experiences of setting up the display with her children. 
While Thulasi's pet cat Gopalakrishnan invites everybody to visit his home in New Zealand to view the Kolu. 
Navarathiri in Sri Lanka 
Navarathiri is celebrated differently in Sri Lanka. 
Selli, Australia writes in detail about how the festival is celebrated at schools predominantly. 
She says that there were no Kolu display in Sri Lanka but every morning would commence with prayers in schools, homes and temples. 
On the tenth day several special dishes would be served at school. 
The same ritual takes place at homes but on a smaller scale. 
Kana Praba takes a jaunty walk down the memory lane reminiscing about his teen-age years. 
Fava beans Sundal 
Ukkarai 
Seeyalam 
Food is an integral part of any festival especially during Navarathiri. 
Jayashree Govindarajan, Mumbai shares some of the traditional recipes. 
Lentils play a key role in all the special dishes prepared for Navarathiri. 
Some of the dishes she has prepared for Navarathiri include Ukkarai, a sweet and it's spicy version Seeyalam. 
Generally Sundal would be prepared and distributed by everybody. 
Jayashree served Mochchai payaru Sundal (Fava beans Sundal) today. 
Navarathiri is the theme for the monthly Indian food-blog event Jihva for Ingredients (JFI). 
And Indira of Mahanandi, the brain behind JFI is also collaborating on a worthy project this month. 
She introduces Feed a Hungry Child (FAHC) fund-drive and requests bloggers to donate smiles.. 
Indira says, 
With the help of volunteers, FAHC has begun to supply feeding kits to 14 children and their families in Palakkad district of Kerala in India, since April 2007. 
Now FAHC needs our help. 
The fundraising goal is $ 3,360. 
I think we can do it easily. 
Please click the Chip In button at the top right of the site, and contribute whatever you can. 
If you require additional incentive to contribute, check out the contents of feeding kit and try to remain unmoved. 
And she along with fellow food-bloggers have also arranged for some raffle tickets, majority of them donated by Suvir Saran, prominent cookbook author and chef. 
One of the coveted prizes is a dinner for two(wine included) at Suvir Saran's restaurant “Dévi” in New York. 
Detailed information can be found here. 

Guatemala: Missing Home · Global Voices 
Migration either internally or to countries abroad is a usual phenomenon in Guatemala. 
During the armed conflict and the years of extreme poverty and violence several Guatemalans decided that there was a lack of real opportunities. 
As a result many left their homelands to go to the capital city or to go North to find other ways to survive and improve their quality of life. 
Indeed, life radically changed for many, when they were forced to leave their homes, their daily lives, and their friends and families. 
Diario Meridiano tells the story of a girl who made the decision to leave home: 
Such communities that have been connecting villages through the use of blogs also practice the same cultural practices they used to have in Guatemala, for example the Q´anjob´al Association even has their own queen, and indigenous ceremonies, as San Pedro Soloma Blog shows: 

Armenia: Open Letter · Global Voices 
Following on from an Open Letter to the Armenian Diaspora by Turkish writer and blogger Mustafa Akyol on the subject of the Armenian Genocide, Raffi K at Life in Armenia responds in kind with his own addressed to Turks. 
Believing that the events of 1915-17 were Genocide, the blogger writes that it is time to resolve this outstanding issue once and for all so that Armenians and Turks can move on and "finally live at peace with each other." 

Uzbekistan: Outdated Agriculture · Global Voices 
Joshua Foust reports that Uzbekistan’s embassy in London has angrily denounced the stories that children are being used (or forced) to pick cotton, and says that the legacy of authoritarianism - inefficiency, environmental disaster, and the abuse of the innocent - seriously hampers the country's development. 

Pakistan: Emergency Declared - No News, No Internet. · Global Voices 
President Musharraf has declared a state of emergency in Pakistan. 
According to news sources, among other things this means "The Fundamental Rights of the citizens are now suspended. All the news channels have been taken off air and mobile phone signals and Internet connections jammed.". 
A thriving discussion at All Things Pakistan gives us a glimpse of what the reactions in the blogosphere are like. 
The Pakistan Policy Blog states that the army has taken control of the Supreme Court, surrounded the buildings of major news stations, and arrested or detained many politicians. 
The blog comments on the proclamation text. 
In his proclamation of emergency (full text below), Musharraf — identifying himself as chief of army staff, not president — cites the rising violence in the country as the basis for his imposing martial law. However, the text holds the judiciary most culpable for the rise in violence. 
It lambastes them for allegedly encroaching upon the territory of the legislative and executive branches, stating, “Whereas some members of the judiciary are working at cross purposes with the executive and legislature in the fight against terrorism and extremism, thereby weakening the government and the nation’s resolve and diluting the efficacy of its actions to control this menace.” 
RedDiaryPk writes on what this confirms - the intentions of the current regime and the consequences of a military rule. 
The blatantly off-handed, treasonous, and unconstitutional attacks by General Pervez Musharraf on the judiciary, media, and people of Pakistan have brought the true dictatorial character of the present regime into the lime-light. 
It has now been proved beyond doubt that Pakistan can never progress into any form of democracy without getting rid of the military from politics. 
All attempts to enter into any ‘compromise’ or ‘deal’ with the military can only hinder the struggle for democracy. 
SAJA Forum is running some comments on the post, including - "They say on Indian TV that this is more than a state of emergency. 
It is declaration of martial law because the country's constitution has been nullified.". 
Some others confirm that news channels are off the air in the country. 
Chapati Mystery on what the state of Emergency means. 
Next up? 
Martial Law. 
More bombings. 
And the eventual drain of all that capital that had accumulated in the country in the past 8 years. 
Zimbabwe, here we come. 
Unless, US and China can come to their senses and do some actual diplomacy. 
The status is bleak. 
Let us say that Musharraf resigns and leaves. 
The Supreme Court declares an election date, the new government solves the Baluchistan issue, th US redeploys significant troops to Afghanistan (and keeps them there), the Pakistani military combats within cities and mountains of Pakistan. 
War. 
Chaos. 
Uncertainty. 
And this, my gentle readers, would be the best case scenario. 
A more likely option is a military state somewhere between Mugabe’s Zimbabwe circa 2005 and Gandhi’s India circa 1976. 
I must be proven wrong. 
KO writes on what it is like to "return to dictatorship". 
This is a bit of a oxymoron. 
Pakistan has been run by a military dictator for the last 8 years, but the dictator kept some of the trappings of democracy around, like a free press, an opposition, of not just politicians but private armies belonging to anyone who cared, like the Taliban, roaming around the country, and so on. 
Over at Comment Is Free, Ali Eteraz writes on the context of the emergency. 
Traditionally, a PCO is an order which suspends the constitution and dissolves all fundamental rights as well as legislation and judiciary, installing martial law. 
Except that Musharraf's PCO only dissolves the judiciary (for overstepping its limits and interfering with the war on terror) while leaving the Assembly intact. 
The limited scope of the PCO means the current situation is something less than martial law. 
Yet it cannot rightly be called an emergency either, because that does not involve a PCO. 
This in-between situation is being called "emergency plus". 
And yes, it's time for the Society Against Internet Censorship in Pakistan to be active again. 
Dr Awab Alvi sets the ball rolling by suggesting that international bloggers be given the right to blog on their behalf. 
I think it's time that all Pakistan based bloggers should stop blogging and be careful since it's being confirmed that martial law is in effect we all have to play it safe - hand over reigns to international reporters and bloggers to help report - we cannot risk it here. 
As an example I have handed over my blog posting rights to a free speech 
activist Ange Embuldeniya and will start live reporting 
I know how much we want to report but please this is a MARTIAL LAW. 
The international blog community is at the moment rallying for Pakistan and we should hear sounds from them very soon. Awab Alvi's blog, being run by Ange currently can be found here, with regular updates on the situation. 

India: No Toilets · Global Voices 
India Daily on how 80% of people in India have no access to a toilet. 
A sobering thought considering the World’s 7th World Toilet Summit is going to be held in India this week. 

Russia: Alcohol Consumption · Global Voices 
According to Window on Eurasia, Russians drink three times what the World Health Organization says is dangerous and eight times the amount Americans drink. 

The BOBs: And the winners are... · Global Voices 
You've waited with bated breath. 
You've sat by your computer. 
Perhaps you've even flown to Berlin...that's right, Berlin, where the awards ceremony for The BOBs (Best of Blogs), a competition hosted by Deutsche Welle and co-sponsored by Global Voices, was held November 15. 
At the ceremony, the results were announced - the winner of this years top award is Xenia Awimova, a 23 year-old aspiring photojournalist who lives and works in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. 
Her blog, Foto-Griffaneurei (literally translated to "Photo-Maniac") highlights her black and white photographs of life in and around Minsk. 
Christian Gramsch, Program Director at Deutsche Welle, said of the blog: "With few words this excellent blog succeeds in portraying the daily life of people in Belarus." 
Awimova herself, upon hearing of the award, explained her blog's success: "In Belarus there are not many independent newspapers or other platforms where people can express their opinions. 
That is why a lot of young people write in their blogs." 
Alive in Baghdad, a popular video blog about daily life in the Iraqi capital, was also honored with the Best Videoblog award. 
The winner of the Best English Blog award was Valour-IT, a blog that raises money to buy laptops for injured American soldiers. 
A special Reporters Without Borders prize was awarded to anonymous blogger Jotman, whose coverage of the 2006 coup in Thailand and recent protests in Burma has at times exceeded that of the mainstream news. 
The full list of winners for this years Best of Blogs awards are as follows: 
All in all, about 100,000 users visited The BOBs website to vote for their favorite blogs from over 7,000 weblogs nominees, making this year's awards an enormous success. 
So, if you're a blogger, get typing, because next year's awards are less than a year away and you could be a part of it! 

Japan: NEC Fingerprinting Technology · Global Voices 
Edo from Pink tentacle gives some technology background of the fingerprinting foreigners policy in Japan: NEC helps Big Brother watch foreigners in Japan. 

Egypt: Why is Israel Scared? · Global Voices 
"I can't find a reason why Israel is so scared that any Arab or Islamic country would own a nuclear program !! 
Seriously I do not find a good reason to all what the Israelis are doing whether from leading the world against Iran or attacking Egypt and KSA for their announcement that they would start a peaceful nuclear program," writes Egyptian blogger Zeinobia. 

Surviving since Tuesday night with no internet connection and blogging from an Internet cafe, Gabriela Zago describes the Brasil Telecom service as the worst ever: "They informed us by phone that the connexion cables had been stolen, but that the problem was to be sorted out the following day (that is to say, Thursday, the Proclamation Day bank holiday)". 
She bets the problem will take another week to be fixed. 

China: Golf Culture in University · Global Voices 
Xueyong criticizes the golf culture in China university (zh). 
The blogger notices that for other countries, students enjoy sports that stresses physical competition, such as footballs and basketball, while golf is a showing off of class status. 

India: Guha's India After Gandhi · Global Voices 
Law and Other Things on varying reviews of Ramachandra Guha's book - India After Gandhi. 

Brazil: Bloggers are debate starters · Global Voices 
MLOG reflects on a piece of news reporting that nearly a third of the debates on the Brazilian internet are started by the blogosphere. 
"Besides generating arguments, bloggers interfere in consumer's decisions when they quote brands or reveal consumption desire". 

Brazil: Police demoralization · Global Voices 
PE Body Count reports on a case that reflects the lack of security in Pernambuco-Brazil. 
The official car of the Secretary of Social Defense, Servilho Paiva, was stolen. 
The vehicle was found this morning, but guns belonging to two security guards were stolen. "This seems to be more of a case of demoralization. And, surely, it is". 

Lebanese: Indentification by Sect · Global Voices 
Lebanese blogger m. accuses the BBC of following the crowd, and identifying people it interviews by their sects. 

Ukraine: Luzhkov and Chernomyrdin on Holodomor · Global Voices 
Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov said this about the vandalized Holodomor exhibit in Moscow: "It seems to me that this exhibit had one purpose: to disunite and alienate the Russian and Ukrainian peoples." 

Iran:American Soldiers and Children in Iraq · Global Voices 
Razeno has published several photos showing American soldiers taking care of children in Iraq. 
The blogger says Iranian media never show such photos.Razeno adds that war is a very dark story but you can see some human emotions there too. 

Hong Kong and China: Andy Lau Save Fan From Security Guards · Global Voices 
The video showing how Hong Kong pop-star Andy Lau saved fan from security guards during his concert in Chengdu has caught a lot of attention in youtube and other local video sharing website. (Via Jason Li, Virtual China). 

Kosoof,a leading photo blogger, has published a photo of a dirty wall where we can still see one of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidential campaign's posters in 2005.On the poster,there is a promise for happiness and comfort.Kosoof says what happened to these slogans? 
He adds there is no sign of comfort and happiness. 

Russia: Muslims For Putin · Global Voices 
Window on Eurasia writes on the voting patterns of Russia's Muslims: "Muslims voted for United Russia and thus endorsed Putin, according to Abdulla Rinat Mukhametov, the head of Islam.ru’s research department, in order to demonstrate that they are 'for a strong, united and socially oriented state' and thus put to rest all charges that Muslims are linked to 'separatism, extremism, and the like'.” 

"In 28 days, Slovenia will take over the rotating presidency of the European Union for the firs six months of 2008 - and for the first time ever, since Slovenia has only been a member of the EU for 1,311 days as we speak. 
Time then to start learning some basic facts about this often forgotten country - such as what its Internet top level domain (TLD) is," writes Jonathan Newton of Tales from the European Underbelly. 

Egypt: YouTube Restores Account .. 
But · Global Voices 
Egyptian blogger and human right's activist Wael Abbas's YouTube and Yahoo accounts are back after being suspended for posting videos showing victims being allegedly tortured by Egyptian police. 
Click the link to see why Wael isn't over the moon. 

Malaysia: Don't Carry The Guy's Bags · Global Voices 
Rocky warns Malaysian Girls to stop carrying other's bag while they are traveling abroad. 

James of Robert Amsterdam's blog critiques CMSWire's interview with the director of strategy of the Russian company that has recently bought LiveJournal: "The reporter asks only a few softball questions, and doesn't really get into any specifics of what SUP would do if the security services asked for personal information about certain bloggers." 

Egypt: Greedy Military · Global Voices 
"There has been anecdotal evidence that the military is getting increasingly greedy about encroaching on the civilian sphere, particularly when it comes to prime land and business," notes The Arabist, from Egypt, who brings us the latest story of the military's plans to take over Qursaya Island, off Cairo. 

Jamaica: Ten Dollar "Wine" · Global Voices 
"Yes, these nine to eleven grade young girls are selling their bodies and sexual favours for as cheap as JM$10 (approximately US$0.14)!": Stunner's Afflictions says "something needs to be done for this trend to stop". 

The wrong way to fight AIDS in Sudan · Global Voices 
In Sudan, Zizou from Djerba critiques what he calls a "poster of death" that uses a skull and crossbones to warn people about the dangers of AIDS, without offering any information about treatment or prevention. 
He writes that AIDS is no longer a death sentence, and that the wrong messages "help propagate the virus" and "worsen the stigmatization" of those who carry it. 

Russia: Kasparov Withdraws From Presidential Race · Global Voices 
Garry Kasparov has withdrawn from presidency race because of the failure to find a venue for an initiative group meeting. 
Siberian Light is "a little disappointed that Kasparov used this as an excuse to withdraw": "The real reason behind Kasparov’s decision to pull out of the race, I suspect, is that he had almost no chance of securing the 2 million signatures needed to endorse his candidacy - and failing in this effort would have been political suicide." 

Corruption. Short-term memory. 
These are the three opium’s we must exhale out of our body system before you go vote on the 27th." 

The Turkish Invasion writes about Oka car: "In Moscow, Oka cars are widely used by pizza delivery (since it is basically warmer than driving a bike in winter) and only a handful of enthusiasts remain who continue driving this car (Many Russians prefer taking easy bank loans and drive luxury SUVs instead). 
The price of a new Oka is around 3500$." 

Mozambique: Back to school, only for some · Global Voices 
Júlio Mutisse comments on the beginning of the school year in Mozambique today and the problems that education faces in the country, where many children have not found places to attend to school. 
"I'm not even talking about the quality of education. 
I am just talking about access to education for thousand of children and thousand of young people from this country." 

Blog for a Cause!: The Global Voices Guide of Blog Advocacy · Global Voices 
Click on the image to download 
Global Voices Advocacy is pleased to announce the second of several planned manuals focused on the topics of circumventing internet filtering, anonymous blogging and effective use of Internet-based tools in campaigns for social and political change. 
Blog for a Cause!: The Global Voices Guide of Blog Advocacy explains how activists can use blogs as part of campaigns against injustice around the world. 
Blogging can help activists in several ways. 
It is a quick and inexpensive way to create a presence on the Internet, to disseminate information about a cause, and to organize actions to lobby decision-makers. 
The goal of Blog for a Cause!: is twofold: to inform and to inspire. 
The guide is designed to be accessible and practical, giving activists a number of easy-to-follow tips on how to use a blog to further their particular cause. 
The guide is divided into five sections: Frequently asked questions about what blog advocacy is The 5 key elements of any successful advocacy blog The 4 steps to creating an advocacy blog How to make your blog a vibrant community of active volunteers Tips to help blog activists stay safe online 
In addition to the information provided above, the guide is also full of examples of advocacy blogs from around the world, to inspire readers with a glimpse of what is possible. 
These featured advocacy blogs have a variety of goals, ranging from freeing a jailed blogger in Saudi Arabia to protecting the environment in Hong Kong and opposing the conflict in Darfur. 
The guide was written by Mary Joyce, a student of digital activism based in Boston, and was commissioned by Global Voices Advocacy, an anti-censorship project of Global Voices online. 
If you found this guide useful when setting up your blog campaign, please email us to let us know. 
Download Blog for a Cause!: in English and help us translating the guide in your language. 
For further information please contact Mary at MaryCJoyce gmail com or Global Voices Advocacy Coordinator Sami Ben Gharbia at advocacy globalvoicesonline org 

Pakistan: Women and the workplace · Global Voices 
Metroblogging Islamabad on working women in Pakistan being harassed at the workplace. 

India: Copyright and the Law · Global Voices 
Law and Other Things on Supreme Court of India ruling that there can be no copyright in the raw text of court judgments/decisions. 

Young citizen journalists getting into the act in Kolkata · Global Voices 
It has been eight weeks since the Neighborhood Diaries project first started. 
Every Monday evening from 6pm to 8pm the participants have gathered in a classroom on the 3rd floor of Bowbazar High School in Kolkata, India for their workshop on citizen media. 
Only one session was rescheduled due to an electricity outage, which is common in these parts of the world. 
So, all together, seven sessions were completed. 
Their curriculum is has been well-detailed and the methods are both innovative and impressive. 
It would be great to collect them and make a manual for training citizen journalists elsewhere in the world. 
From their project blog: 
We start off each session by sitting in a circle and sharing last weeks reading. 
Then we proceed on to the next assignment through interactive activities, discussion, group games, individual and sometimes, outdoor writing. 
Catch a glimpse of our Monday evenings below: 
Details from the sixth session: 
"Session Five’s journalism assignment was an investigation and interview on different personalities and characters of Bow Bazaar. 
Through our discussion in the session, the youth journalists came up with Goondas (neighbourhood bandits), Neighbourhood Beneficiaries, Heroic Survivors, and Bhashan Baaj (folks who have something to say about everything)." 
Below are some highlighted excerpts from the participants portrayals of neighborhood characters. 
The original texts were in Bangla which were later translated by the ND project leaders. 
Tania and Jyotsna portrays Monoranjan Das, A Kind Hearted Para Beneficiary: 
“He gives away blankets in winter time to the poor and needy. 
He provides medicine from his shop to people when they need it.” 
Supriya and Pinky Lal writes about Tulshi Mashi a surviving woman: 
“She thinks only one thing– that there was a time when she had to beg for rice. 
But now she has been able to stand on her own feet. 
She has come a long way.” 
More writings on what it's like to live in the community by participants were updated recently in the project blog: 
Surojit writes about a Garments seller: 
“After having studied till standard viii, he had to leave studies due to problems at home. 
He is now 24 years old. 
At home he has his parents and two sisters. 
He shoulders the responsibility for each of them. 
Since he could not complete his education, he hasn’t been able to land a better job. 
He hopes that his sister will stand beside and support her parents when she becomes independent.” 
Pinky Lal shares the plights of a domestic help: 
"The rooms have beds in two tiers there. 
If one takes the upper bunk, the cost is Rs.1450/-on a monthly basis whereas the lower bunk costs Rs. 
So Buli decided to opt for the lower bunk." 
Tania Mondol writes about the struggles of a fish seller: "Tapa is doing this business ever since childhood. 
Rahul Goswami shows the inhuman living conditions of a shoemaker: 
Musha da is a shoemaker. 
He is not a bit ashamed about this identity. He belongs to a lower middle class Muslim family. 
His room is like a dark, claustrophobic pigeon-hole. 
Musha da himself does not recall what colour the walls of the room had been. 
It is a 6 foot by 4 foot room. 
There is no bed, but a chatai and pillows are laid out on the floor. 
The walls are nearly covered by hanging heaps of saris and other clothes. 
There is no separate space for cooking, the lavatory has been curtained off to create a small kitchen. There is no window in the room, not even one as small as a mirror. 
The smell of the room is a peculiar medley of leather smells, the smell of cream shoe polish and dampness. 
Though it is not apparent from outside, once you enter the room you feel that it has ended even before it has begun." 
And Anjali shares the heartbreaking story of a sex worker, Jyotsna: 
Jyotsna had studied upto class 2. 
She did not enjoy studying, and therefore left it. 
When she was 11-12 years old, she was married off in a social ceremony. 
Her puberty started 3-4 months after her marriage. 
Read on the upsetting story how her husband committed suicide and how she was compelled to choose prostitution, to feed her daughter. 
Session seven’s assignment included showing participants ways to make changes in the neighborhood. 
One of the methods to teach these budding journalists is enacting a problem they see emerging in their neighborhood (from their own perspective) and enacting a solution they think is feasible (from their perspective). 
They were given a home assignment to write an article researching a Problem/Issue of their neighborhood. 
We hope that with these amazing workshops these citizen journalists will not only be good writers but enrich their knowledge and human qualities as well. 
Though the Neighbourhood Diaries participants will be taking a break throughout February and March in order to prepare for their school exams, we look forward to their return at the beginning of April. 

Iran:Stoning sentence for two sisters · Global Voices 
According to Normblog,two Iranian sisters convicted of adultery face being stoned to death after the supreme court upheld the death sentences against them.The two sisters were found guilty of adultery.Read more here . 

India: Goons and Politics · Global Voices 
India Daily on Raj Thackeray - a politician who seems to send goons out to resolve all issues. 

Sri Lanka: Remembering Arthur C Clarke · Global Voices 
The death of Arthur C. Clarke (1917 - 2008) has many people - some who are ardent enthusiasts of science fiction, and others who know of him blogging about their reflections on the man. From a fleeting glimpse, to an incidental conversation, Clarke is remembered fondly by many Sri Lankan bloggers as a visionary and a futurist. 
Which was by no means easy. Sir Arthur was a prolific writer with more than a 100 books to his credit along with numerous essays and short stories. Even wikipedia can only put up a partial bibliography. 
What made him so appealing was that although the science in his science fiction was of the highest levels his writing was very simple, very entertaining and very powerful. And his stories were more about the story than the science. 
I arranged this meeting and was lucky enough to accompany him on this visit to meet Dr. Clarke who was at his study browsing some super-magnified pictures of the Mars in his Laptop when we met him. Showing us those Martian pictures soon and pointing to a pale coloured straight line captured clearly in it, he asked what we think about it! 
We gazed intently at the screen trying to put a proper sentence together and soon noticing our sorry faces, Sir. 
LIRNEasia laments the loss of a person they closely collaborated with, shedding light on the fact that there was more to the man than writing fiction. In November 2005, LIRNEasia had its last official encounter with him when few representatives from WorldSpace (our partner in the Last-Mile Hazinfo project) including Dr. Rangarajan met him in Colombo. 
Hell, the main reason I played was so that some day I could tell people, Yeah, I played table tennis with Arthur C Clarke. 
But this was humiliating. 
A 75 year old man, who was supporting himself by holding on to the table with one hand, and not even moving from his position, beat me. he just had a massive reach, and a killer top spin that had me bouncing all over the place, while he calmly stayed there. 
As a friend of mine said when I told him this: Pwnt! 
None of this means that Clarke is insensitive to the minutiae of human lives, or to our deepest feelings: his beautiful, sentimental "Dog Star", about an astronaut having to part with his beloved dog when he goes to live on a lunar observatory, is about the closest any short story has come to moistening my ever-dry eyes. (It's also one of a few examples in Clarke's work of a rational mind struggling with an experience that borders on the supernatural, and never coming completely to terms with the scientific explanation.) 
The author of Moving Images, Moving People! who has worked with Clarke for about 21 years, writes wistfully about the last video message that was shot. 
A few tense moments passed. 
Then one of Sir Arthur’s valets had a brainwave. Why not don the casual NASA jacket that Sir Arthur often wore when he felt the air conditioning was getting a bit too cold? 

Bahrain: Harmony in Diversity · Global Voices 
Over millennia, Bahrain has been an oasis of peace, embracing people of all religions, creeds and races. 
Bahraini blogger Messiah's Blood (Ar) finds an old picture of a neighbourhood in the capital Manama, which reflects harmony in diversity. 
- الدائره الاولي علي اليسار هي لجامع الفاروق للطائفه السنيه . 
- المساحه المفتوحه هي مقبره ومسجد تابع للطائفه الشيعيه . 
- اما الدائره الصغيره التي ترونها فهي عباره عن حائط يحمل صليب الكنيسه الانجيليه . 
This picture drew my attention because of the symbolism hidden behind those buildings. 
I have passed by this area many times without realising its significance. 
- The first circle on the left shows Al Farooq Mosque, which is for the Sunni sect. 
- The open area is a cemetery and mosque for the Shia sect. 
- The small circle you see is a wall which carries the cross of the Evanglican Church. 
This reflects the level of co-existence in this area, where these structures are more than a 100 years old each. 
They are all gathered in one small part of this world. 

Sri Lanka: Bomb blasts and an ongoing conflict · Global Voices 
A senior parliamentarian and one of the most important ministers in the present government was assassinated by the LTTE. 
The bomber is believed to have come disguised as a Marathon runner. 
DefenseNet gives a brief update of the incident, but the post created some heated debate and in my opinion it gives a glimpse of the average Sri Lankan's mind, who are so used to people getting killed by bomb blasts. 
Below are some of the comments, read the full post Minister Jeyeraj Fernandopulle killed in Weliweriya Blast 
Rover - 
"Jeyaraj dead ,Thats that, now lets move on." 
MyShadow - 
Yes, i am gone mad...,how many of this country men will get killed, how many will blasts will keep happening in this country, 
you say that "We can't dwell on the death of a single guy" 
you say that in front of your computer. thousands and thousands are killed. may be you are in a foriegn country in a good position 
may be you are a sadist who don't worry about people get killed, boombed 
did you die ? someone died, and you say move on... 
Other than the minister close to 10 people have died and among them is national marathon champion Mr.Karunasena better known and "Marathon Karu" and National Athletic Coach Mr.Lackshman De Alwis.About Sri Lanka speaks about the other prominent people injured in this post. 
Meanwhile, the war continues in Sri Lanka with government claiming to kill many Tiger cadres while LTTE denies them strenuously, what most people don't hear about is the displaced people because of the war, who live in refugee camps, sometimes denied even the basic human needs, although the government speaks highly about the liberation of North not much is mentioned about the displaced persons. 
ground views speaks about forgotten IDP's from the North where he mentions the hardships the Muslims and the other in that area had to suffer for more than two decades. For these Muslims, who once led peaceful and productive lives in the north of the country, their lives were shattered when they were ordered to leave their homes in just two hours – or face dire consequences. Leaving everything they possessed behind them, they fled with their families, hoping no doubt to return when things calmed down. 
Little did they know that their lives, which had turned topsy–turvy in the blink of an eye, would remain so and in fact only worsen, for the next two decades. Although not as unforgiving as ground views transcurrent.com also speaks about the difficulties faced by the IDP's especially about the security concerns faced by them. 

India: The Olympic Torch and Tibet · Global Voices 
It seems like Tibet refuses to go away from people's mind. 
Tibet continues to be the dominant topic of conversation and is clearly gathering a lot of public support, especially in virtual India. 
Baichung Bhutia, India's well-known football player has refused to carry the Olympic torch when it comes to India in mid-April. 
Bhutia is a Buddhist from the Indian state of Sikkim. 
Bhutia told the Indian media that this was his way of standing up for the people of Tibet, and clearly Bhutia's stance has resonated with many Indian bloggers. 
Sushbh of Insanity Rediscovered writes that he is very pround of Bhutia's stance on Tibet and not carrying the Olympic torch, while Sudharshan writes that he does not care if the Indian football team makes it the world cup final, and is very proud of Bhutia's decision. 
Patrix writes that finally we have an Indian celebrity who can stand up to China. 
However Avinash differs and writes that Tibet should be discussed but now now since the Olympics is a global event. 
What Avinash is pointing out in his blog is that Tibet and Beijing Olympics issues need to be de-coupled. 
While Bhutia has decided not to carry the torch, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan announced that he will be part of the Olympic torch. 
To say that Aamir Khan's decision to carry the Olympic torch has created a buzz would be a bit of an understatement. 
Khan,(probably the only Bollywood actor with a blog) writes about his decision to carry the Olympic torch: 
"I categorically state that I am absolutely against any form of violence, and certainly I am deeply upset whenever the basic rights of human beings are violated anywhere in the world." 
He adds: 
"I request those of you who have asked me to stay away from the Olympic Torch Relay to understand that when I do run with the torch on the 17th of April it is not in support of China. 
In fact it will be with a prayer in my heart for the people of Tibet, and indeed for all people across the world who are victims of human rights violations." 
Khan's blog post has created quite a bit of reaction from the bloggers. 
Raman's Strategic Analysis in his open letter to Aamir Khan writes: 
"You have millions of admirers as an artist all over the world. 
You will continue to have millions of admirers what ever be your final decision. 
But many of them will have feelings of vacuum in their hearts over your failure to distinguish between the right and the wrong." 
Prasanna Vishwanathan of Benched@Bangalored finds Khan's explanation "convoluted" and writes: 
"(Khan) he cannot camouflage the fact that commercial consideration motivates his decisions rather than any lofty intentions .Or it could well be that oppression in Iraq or Afghanistan by US could or NBA agitatation against Modi government is what strikes emotional chord in Aamir Khan's heart.The selective heart-bledding has been consistent hallmark of left liberal intelligenstia." 

Pakistan: Wasting food at weddings · Global Voices 
All Things Pakistan laments the huge amount of food that is wasted during weddings. 

Nepal: Time to vote · Global Voices 
The Radiant Star captures the mood of Nepal as it heads towards an election on the 10th of April. 

The South African Blog Awards · Global Voices 
On April 2nd, The South African Blog Awards were held in Cape Town to a great turnout of bloggers and also some very inspired winners. 
This is a summary of posts about the award from South African bloggers. 
Both Eish! and 123 Blog Myself attended the event. 
123 Blog Myself: 
I just got home after attending this year’s blog awards ceremony at the UCT Tennis Club. 
What a great turnout! 
It was great putting some faces to the names and the blogs, and meeting a whole bunch of awesome new people. 
I am especially psyched about finally meeting Chris from iMod.co.za, CJC from Riply.co.za and Revolving Credit from The Big Wheel face to face. 
It is only by a miraculous sequence of tiny miracles that I managed to: 
* (A) leave at work on time for a change 
* (B) Actually find the blasted tennis club despite the directions, and 
* (C) find my home again afterwards. 
I’d like to say a special thanks to Roxie who showed me the way there, and to Riply for being such an angel to show me how to get back on the highway again afterwards. 
Thank you - you guys ROCK! 
Eish!: 
The SA Blog Awards has progressed to become a significant event in the online calendar year. 
The packed out venue last night attests to this, as does the fact that finalists and interested parties flew in from around the country to be there. 
The event has sufficiently informal as one expects from this community and there was more than enough time before and after the 'ceremony' to mingle with fellow bloggers, media and those that had an interest in the web. 
When the ceremony began promptly at 7:30, the finalists were surprised to hear that besides being able to sport the 'SA Blog Awards 2008′ graphic on their page for a year, there were actual physical prizes they could take home with them. 
There was wine from Warwick Estate, an indigenous tree from Stodels, Dell sponsored some categories with a flat screen monitor and Microsoft gave away a Xbox360 to the overall winner. 
And suddenly things became just a wee little more intense! 
Without a doubt the big winners were Durban's East Coast Radio who, along with the other big winner Mail and Guardian have embraced the blogging medium and it seems to paying dividends, not only at the SA Blog Awards, but by increasing their reach into South African society. 
While 'mainstream media' made a huge impression at this years awards, there was still more than enough space for the smaller guys to pick up awards. 
In fact, having the big boys doing so well made the victories of the others that much sweeter and it was great to see the excitement and genuine pride these winners exuded for the rest of the evening. 
While there was the odd good natured murmuring about the mainstream onslaught this year, there was none of the vitriol that seemed to emanate after last year's awards. 
All in all, it was a great evening. 
Well done to the winners, and to those who missed out, it's time to up the ante! 
And the winners are ... 
South African Weblog of the Year 
The Best of the Best from South Africa 
Winner: 
thoughtleader.co.za 
Winner: 
blog.ecr.co.za/breakfast 
Best Overseas South African Blog 
Best blog written by a South African in any foreign country 
Winner: 
Best SA Blog about Politics The best SA blog featuring mainly a political theme 
Winner: 
Best New Blog 
Best blog which was started during the year of 2007 
Winner: 
blog.ecr.co.za/newswatch 
Mike Stopforth congratulates the organisers: 
The event was held at the UCT Tennis Club and was very well attended by folks from all walks of life. 
Huge congrats go to Jon Cherry and his team for organising the event out of the goodness of his heart (all that where there would have noted that Jon never once promoted Cherryflava or Cherrypicka). 
Vincent Maher, one of the winners in the News Category, writes: 
Don’t I feel like an idiot - at the last minute Matt and I had to cancel our plans to go to Cape Town tonight for the SA Blog Awards and we won 4 awards - Matthew Buckland won best business blog, Amatomu won best site promoting blogs and Thought Leader won best political blog and blog of the year. 
I feel pretty foul about missing the party and the celebrations but very happy for the recognition. 
The person who probably deserves the most thanks in all of this is Riaan Wolmarans, the Thought Leader editor who is the most over-worked person I know right now . 
And finally... CherryFlava gave their thanks to all the sponsors and people who had made the event possible. 
All in all it was a great event and a sign of greater things to come for the South African Blog Awards and South African Bloggers alike. 
Looking forward to 2009. 

Video on Flickr: An apple of dischord · Global Voices 
Seventeen hours after its creation, the Flickr group "NO VIDEO ON FLICKR!!!" already has more than 5475 members and 670 items. 
What is even more amazing is that another group, "We Say NO to Videos on Flickr", created 2 hours later, has more than double the number of members of the previously mentioned group, and both are composed of Flickr users who oppose the idea of having video on the platform traditionally used for uploading pictures. 
On the other hand, the groups created for uploaded videos hardly have more than 30 members yet. 
What is the reason for this insatisfaction with Yahoo and Flickr's decision to make video uploading and viewing possible on their site? 
Most of the users in these groups are concerned that video upload will interfere with their user experience in browsing pictures, leading to lower speed and picture uploads, and others are upset that the main reason why they joined Flickr was for photography, and not for video. 
They fear that the supportive community they've found in Flickr will disappear and become into what a community "mainly reduced to flaming people about their beliefs, intents and capabilities." 
You can read these and other perspectives by following this link. 
However, even among these groups there are those who believe that because only pro users can upload videos, that that will become a sort of quality filter, and that it will make it less likely for new users to get into Flickr just because of video. 
Others hope that it becomes a tool for photographers to make slide-shows or stop motion animation with their pictures, and use it to give their products an added value. 
There have also been requests for discussion threads in Spanish, and a translation of the petition they are signing has been posted. 
So what sort of content has been uploaded so far?, CreepySleep uploads a video of a deep leg wound cleansing in a young boy, and it is only one of many different videos he has uploaded on life in South Sudan. 
Another video is this one featuring children playing instruments and singing for tourists at the salt plains of Uyuni in Bolivia, uploaded by i-ren ishii. 
Mr.Frosted uploaded the following video where you can see the bright blue garbage collector truck with its trademark song in the streets of Vietnam. 
He also has several other creative commons videos on different locations throughout the world. 
The last video I´ll present has actually been chosen by the Flickr team to be a part of the Video! 
Video! 
Video! group where they've been amassing the best examples of video on Flickr so far. 
The following is "Mount Fuji from the Shinkansen" by antimega: 
Whether you agree with Flickr being used for videos or not, people are using the new option and uploading their content: it will remain to be seen how Yahoo and Flickr will will respond to the groups unhappy with this change. 
Thumbnail image is No to videos on Flickr by the Monkey 2332 image used according to creative commons license. 

Pakistan: Media and restrictions · Global Voices 
CHUP! on the new government in Pakistan lifting harsh restrictions on the media that were imposed by President Pervez Musharraf during his emergency rule in November 2007. 

Japan: Comfort Women Video Calls Attention to a Still Unresolved Issue. · Global Voices 
More than 60 years have passed since the World War II, but women who claim to have been abducted under Japanese Military's orders to serve as sexual slaves on military "Comfort Stations" are still waiting for the government's public apologies and material compensation even as the government still denies the claims that they were behind these brothels. 
After the war ended, the women who served the military were abandoned, adrift in a foreign country and in cases, murdered. 
Through online videos we can learn more about the plight of the "Military Comfort Women" and efforts elsewhere to bring this subject to the light. 
On Witness' The HUB, one of the most viewed videos is on Japan's Comfort women, women used as prostitutes for the Japanese army during the World War II who were often conscripted, kidnapped, coerced or forced to go into the sexual slave trade. 
This issue isn't only affecting women in Japan, but also women from China and Korea and others territories under Imperial Japanese possession at the time who were also used to supply the Japanese military brothels. The video combines photographs, text from letters and drawings to portray the extreme conditions these women had to live in. 
The video follows, or you can click here to see it at the HUB. 
The subject is still under debate since the Japanese government has switched back and forth between accepting the charges and denying them. 
The public itself is also debating whether this happened or not, and whether it would be the military's responsibility or not that this took place if it did. Amnesty International has an ongoing campaign asking the Japanese government to apologize and compensate the women. 
In London, England, a presentation of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues were organized last March to raise awareness about the story of the Comfort Women of China, leoocunha shows us a piece of the presentation and you can see it by following this link. 
Thumbnail image used is Japanese naval flag by futureatlas.com 

Japan: Where has all the butter gone? · Global Voices 
The drastic reduction in raw milk production, complicated by hikes in the price of grain as well as changes in the global patterns of dairy product consumption, have caused a serious butter shortage in Japan. 
Empty shelves in the dairy section of grocery stores across the country have not seen a shipment of butter for days, and stores are posting signs apologizing for the shortage. 
An empty shelf at a grocery store with a sign explaining that the management does not know when the next shipment of butter will come. 

Dominican Republic: First Trip on the New Metro · Global Voices 
Lara from Blog Santo Domingo recounts her first experience on the new metro in the Dominican capital and that it is not permitted to talk about politics or other controversial topics that may create debate. 

Arabeyes: A Closer Look at Readers · Global Voices 
Over the past month, several Arab bloggers have been taking a closer look at who follows their blogs and what keywords bring readers. 
Here's a review of what bloggers from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Egypt had to say. 
Bahrain: 
After checking her statistics, and seeing who was accessing her blog, Silly Bahraini Girl goes on a rampage in a post entitled Arab Perverts. 
She explains: 
It really is a shame that some of us - yes - I happen to be an Arab too - have access to the Internet. 
Curiosity may have killed the cat - but it certainly made my stomach turn - and I sure do have one of the most colourful vocabularies out there. 
Anyway, I just had a look at what leads the majority of clicks to this blog, and here's the result. 
These are the 250 top keywords which drew traffic to my blog. 
Makes me think if I should hang up my boots and open a brothel. 
Why am I even bothering myself blogging, promoting blogging and lecturing to people about how it gives them a voice? 
She then goes on to list the 250 most searched for words on her blog. 
Saudi Arabia: 
From Saudi, American Bedu also shares her thoughts on how she reacts to readers. She explains: 
In addition to simply sharing the realities and experiences of day-to-day life in the Kingdom, I also rely on an analysis of the search terms that led readers to my blog in the first place. 
This is one of the advantages in using WordPress as a blog platform. For a non-techie like me it is quite easy to use and manage. 
Plus it provides you routinely with daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly statistics. 
I not only know how many individuals have viewed my blog each day but what posts they are reading. 
In addition, as I stated in the beginning of this post, I also receive a log of daily search terms which lead readers to my blog. 
Sometimes I will view the search terms and realize especially with repeated terms searched, I should do a post on a particular subject due to the ongoing level of interest. 
At other times I may see a search term and wonder what on earth made the search engine come up with a reference to my blog for that term! 
Lebanon: 
After discovering that 20 per cent of his readers were attracted by a post on Lebanese pop star Haifa Wehbe, Antoun, from Lebanon, decided to fight fire with fire, adding more pictures of Lebanon's hottest stars to his blog. 
He explains: 
It has occurred to me that at least 20% of the hits I get a day, thus far, are from horny individuals (men, and surely some women) looking for pictures of Haifa Wehbe, due to this post I made last week about Haifa Wehbe and political Islam. 
I will share with you some of the word strings used on Google that allowed these horndogs to stumble upon my blog: 
* haifa wahbi, sex 
* f****d pics for haifa wehbe 
* best photo of haifa 
* picture sex haifa Well, you get the picture. 
But rather than to be discouraged about my blog becoming a portal for those eager to find pictures of haifa+wehbe+sex rather than a meeting point for informed insight about Lebanon and regional issues, I've decided to put up a few more pictures of Haifa. 
I've also added a picture of Nancy Ajram and Elissa. 
Sometimes, the means justify the ends. 
If I can attract readers with these theatrics, maybe they'll stay a while to do some browsing. 
Egypt: 
D B Shobrawy from Egypt too was looking at what attracts readers to his blog and after seeing that his most 'delicious' post to date has been snubbed, decides to publish it again. 
Shobrawy explains his move as follows: 
Sometimes I will go through my sites visitor statistics to see what people are reading and how they got to the site. 
Today I was glancing around and I saw the usual, recent posts, The Battle for Hummus and Falafel, Hot Egyptian Girls and any post involving Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. 
I spotted another post that hadnt been that hot of a search topic but one of my favorite posts, dare I say one of the best? 
I read it today as if someone else wrote it and I loved it. 
I’m reposting it again for those who might have missed it. 

India: Jaipur blasts, Terrorism and the Government · Global Voices 
On 13th May, serial blasts rocked Jaipur. 
Reports suggest that more than sixty people were killed, and another 150 were injured. 
MyZone writes about Jaipur, which as a city has been relatively peaceful, and the sheer panic the blasts created. 
Disbelief turned into shock as over the fifteen minutes the number rose from two to five, and the magnitude of what had happened started sinking in. 
For the first time in its almost three century old history had Jaipur been terrorized. 
Cell phones started buzzing with anxious parents and relatives enquiring about our whereabouts and asking us to return home immediately. 
We were among the fortunate few whose calls managed to go through. As the clock ticked, the networks became jammed. 
The lounge emptied within minutes, and a place buzzing with youngsters had a deserted look in no time. 
While terrorism is not new to India, and various cities have seen terrorist attacks, Jaipur has never been attacked on this scale before. 
The blasts have exposed the vulnerability of cities and its citizens, and the failure of intelligence. 
There are hints that the attacks were coordinated by "other countries". 
A blogger from Pakistan expresses solidarity and hopes that the Indian Government doesn't rush through things and point fingers at Pakistan. 
Ha's Blog expresses concern for team members in Jaipur. 
There were some signs that our colleagues were afraid that we from the Dutch side would consider Jaipur to be less safe because all of this. 
But I see it as my responsibility to show our Jaipur team that we are committed to support them, as they are one of us! 
Hindustaniat takes a closer look at why Jaipur was a target for the attacks. 
Jaipur is one of the foremost symbol of India's cultural heritage. 
Lakhs of tourists come to the Pink City every year and Rajasthan is the face of Indian tourism worldwide, along with Agra. 
The anti-national forces must have been desperate as there was no major communal or casteist issue in the country for long. 
Indian Muslims writes about the failure of the government to resolve previous terrorist attacks. 
One of the reasons the government is so ill-prepared to either prevent or solve such terrorist attacks is that there is no follow-up on the previous such attacks. 
Case in point: Mecca Masjid Blasts. 
Andhra Pradesh government constituted an inquiry commission under Justice Bhaskara Rao in June 2007 to submit its report on the incident within three months. 
It has been more than 11 months since then and we didn’t hear anything. 
Off Stumped voices similar concerns about government inaction and apathy. 
Cynical Indian emphasizes that people need to be more vigilant. 
DJ Fadereu twitters updates from Jaipur. 
A group on Facebook is discussing the events as they unfold. 
The flipside of the solidarity that is expressed across the blogosphere is that some people appear to be jumping to vitriol. 
Some of the message boards in the main stream media have been filled with allegations against Muslims. 

India: Dr Binayak Sen and the Government · Global Voices 
Break All Chains on the case of Dr Binayak Sen, who is a public health specialist and currently jailed in India on charges of being associated with the Naxalite movement. 

India: Is Google really evil? · Global Voices 
profy on why Google wasn't quite evil when their cooperation with the Indian Police resulted in the arrest of a man accused of posting obscene content on Orkut. 

Blogger of the Week: Jillian York · Global Voices 
Today's Blogger of the Week celebrates the work of Jillian C York, our Morocco author, and a regular contributor to Voices without Votes. 
A freelance writer, blogger, and author of a guidebook to Morocco, Jillian currently lives in Boston, US, after spending two memorable years in Meknes, Morocco, and continues to blog here. 
Her interests include writing, politics, music, and activism - as well as giving a voice to what citizen journalists are writing about. 
Here's our interview with Jillian, in which we hope to learn more about her: 
What is your educational background? 
I have a BA in Sociology from Binghamton University, US, where I also minored in theatre. 
I focused much of my studies on the sociology of the Middle East and North Africa, writing a thesis for my major on the perception of Arabs in American media. 
More than anything, I am grateful to my education because it's what brought me to Morocco in the first place. 
I took a summer Arabic program at Al Akhawayn University, then after returning to the US, spent the next year trying to figure out how to get back. 
Your profession? 
I am currently working toward my ultimate goal of being able to write full time. 
Shortly after moving to Morocco, I wrote Culture Smart! 
Morocco (Random House, 2006) and have published several articles since. 
Most recently, though, I had the pleasure of teaching English in Morocco for two years, which certainly tops the list in terms of jobs I've had! 
Who is Jillian York? 
What excites you and what annoys you? 
I am definitely a type A personality, constantly busy, always looking for more things to do. 
I get excited about blogging and new media, certainly - I was one of the first to blog in English about Morocco, and during the time that I lived in the country, it was so exciting to see the blogoma (Moroccan blogosphere) constantly growing and blossoming. 
Blogging is such an incredible outlet; not only because it allows ordinary people to talk about whatever is on their minds, but also because it gives the rest of us insight into another culture (even if that culture isn't so foreign!). As for what annoys me? 
I could in a number of different directions with this one, but a major one right now is the bias of the American media. 
Any American who has spent more than a few weeks abroad knows how I feel; Morocco isn't exactly a bastion of free speech, but the access to global news is somehow far better than in the US. 
How long have you been blogging and why? 
I started in 2005 when I first moved to Morocco and have continued blogging about my adopted country despite having moved back to the US this past August. 
How long have you been a member of GVO and why? 
Since April 2006 - I was dying to get more involved in the emerging Moroccan blogoma, and so I contacted GVO Regional Middle East and North Africa Editor Amira Al Hussaini and the rest is history. 
What are the main issues effecting your blogosphere? 
Morocco's blogoma is fortunate in that its writers have relative freedom in the subjects they choose to blog. 
Unfortunately, Morocco has also experienced some internet censorship, most notably the censure of YouTube (which is now back), Google Earth and Livejournal (a major blogging platform). 
Another issue facing the blogosphere is the censure of blogs about Western Sahara issues - blocked to silence opposing viewpoints. 
What is your most memorable blogging experience? 
When Britney Spears considered converting to Islam? 
Just kidding! 
My most memorable blogging experience is being at the forefront of Moroccan news when I lived there, particularly when sites like YouTube were being censored - it was great to be able to break news before major news sites did, basing my posts on the bloggers in my region. 
How do you spend your free time? 
Whenever I have it (and lately, that's not very often), I read. 
I also (obviously) spend a lot of time online, although it's usually while I'm working, in some capacity. 
What is the latest book you have read? 
Can you share something from it with us? 
I'm currently reading Dave Eggers' You Shall Know Our Velocity! which is very different from his memoir (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius). 
I've only just started the book, but what I will say is that Eggers is a writer who amazes me on so many levels, particularly in his passion (and compassion) for passing writing on to the next generation. 
What do you blog about mostly? 
For the past three years, I have blogged about Morocco (at The Morocco Report). 
Although a lot of what I wrote there was based on my observations and opinions, I also reported and re-reported the news, as well as what other bloggers were talking about. 
My new blog has a different theme. 
After blogging about Morocco for nearly three years, I felt that it was time to move on. 
Although I'll continue to blog at The Morocco Report, my life is now in Boston, and I needed my writing to reflect that. 
What are your hopes for Morocco and its blogosphere? 
Morocco is an incredible country - in 50 years, it has seen technological developments that took a hundred years elsewhere. 
What really amazes me is Moroccans' ability to adapt to that - in eight or so years, the internet has become a huge force there. 
The past three have seen hundreds of new blogs and forums. 
While I think that all blogs - and especially those of the blogoma - are valuable, I would love to see more Moroccans using that platform to talk about important issues. 
Unfortunately, I think that there's a certain fear of using blogs as political (or other) platforms (and rightly so, given the recent case against Fouad Mourtada). 
In February, you joined a 10-member GV contingent to WeMedia. 
Can you tell us about the highlights of your stay at the GVO House and meeting GVers face to face for the first time? 
How was your experience? 
Are you looking forward to meeting more GVers soon? 
I had a blast at WeMedia! 
Meeting other GVers for the first time was really surreal...you spend so much time with people virtually that you feel as if you know them. 
And there were others that I'd never even spoken to online who have become friends. 
I'm really looking forward to the GV Summit in Budapest this June. 
Final thoughts? 
I am really grateful to be a part of Global Voices. 
I had no idea what a huge project I was getting into when I started writing for GV over a year ago, but I am so glad that I did! 

India: Mango festival · Global Voices 
Photographs from a Mango Festival in India at the cooks cottage. 

South Africa: Who is to blame for xenophobia? · Global Voices 
David blames the South African government for the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa: "No one hates foreigners like South Africans do. 
South Africa is said to be officially the most xenophobic nation in the world. 
So much for being xenophobic and all that but why go to the criminal extent of murdering about 50 immigrants? 
South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki was reported to have described the saga as “disgraceful” but I say it is far more than disgraceful. 
It is outrightly criminal and those behind the attacks must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law!" 

YouTube starts citizen journalism channel · Global Voices 
Following, the invitation made by YouTube and presentation of Olivia who will be in charge of the CitizenNews channel: 
Let me take the opportunity and tell you that Global Voices already has its own YouTube channel, where all the videos I've posted on my articles have been marked as favorites and many of the producers have been subscribed to, and even some videos which didn't make it into articles, but are still quite good and interesting. 
If you have any videos you would like to see written about in this video blogging section, please send me an email (available through my author page) or write in a comment with a short explanation of why you think it is an important video to showcase, and I'll do my best to include all your requests. 

India: Bullying a Blogger! · Global Voices 
A website - Kerals.com decides to bully and abuse a blogger, when she protests against unfair use of her content on their website. 
More at Ginger and Mango. 

China: National Outrage · Global Voices 
Two cold pointed out that Chinese people as a whole shouldn't be so easily outraged by foreign media or foreigner's comment, such as Sharon Stone's comments on the earthquake. 
The blogger pointed out that Chinese media also had made many unsympathetic comments to other countries' misfortune . 

Ecuador: The Amazon Tribes Vs. 
Big Oil · Global Voices 
Morning in the Amazon... by markg6 used according to Creative Commons attribution license. 
A rekindled interest in the richness of the Amazon is one of the results of recently distributed photograph showing members of an uncontacted tribe in the Brazilian Amazon shooting arrows at the photographer's airplane which surfaced on the Internet on May 23rd. 
However, to some organizations, the Amazon has never been far from their minds, and today we´ll see some videos brought by Amazon Watch, some which were showcased on Witness' The Hub editorial section. 
First, a video explaining the extent of damages that are imputed to the Chevron- Texaco oil company toxic waste management which for years has contaminated the Amazonian Basin in Ecuador. 
In the following video, indigenous group members tell about their health problems, cancer and their case against Chevron-Texaco where they ask them to clean up after themselves. 
Then, from The Hub, curator Chris Michael picked the following two videos. 
First, an animation which spoofs corporate propaganda videos and shows a different perspective on the toxic oil waste disaster in Ecuador, inviting viewers to learn more about the trial, about Chevron-Texaco in Ecuador and answers to their replies that they were within the law and weren't the cause of the disaster, and in general about the harm of oil exploitation in the amazonian basin at Chevrontoxico.com 
The next video portrays the story of how the tribal leaders are still struggling to keep this disaster from repeating itself, and the Ecuadorian government's insistence on leasing tracts of land where Indigenous reserves lie for oil exploitation, not just without the indigenous tribe's approval but in spite of their open opposition. 

Tanzania: Tanzanian search engine · Global Voices 
White African spots two new East African websites: "Bongoza is a new search engine for Tanzania. 
I’m intrigued by this idea of a niche search engine by country. 
Usually I would think that the big search engines would do an adequate job for any area, however it might be different if there’s a human helping to index uniquely Tanzanian content, especially as much of it is in Swahili." 

India: Bullying bloggers, stealing content, and threats! · Global Voices 
As bloggers, we're a vulnerable lot. 
Regardless of anonymity, pseudonyms and the like, threats can still make us review how important a blog is. 
The case of Inji Pennu and Kerals.com is taking the blogosphere by storm. 
In what comes across as sheer bullying and intimidation, Kerals.com, a website that targets people from Kerala and Malayali speakers has taken to harassing a blogger. 
The blogger, Inji Pennu, who blogs at Ginger and Mango appears to have politely requested Kerals.com to remove content that they stole from her. 
She then posted their responses, and the email exchange has provoked a strong reaction from readers of her blog. 
While content-theft from blogs is not really new, the sheer tactics and threats of violence from the content-stealing website has ruffled quite a few feathers. 
Then starts the threats, abuse and even fake legal notices. 
They started ordering bloggers to take down their respective posts criticizing them. 
What craziness to order bloggers like that. 
What happened to freedom of speech?..... 
Mr. Shiv Kumar then threatens physical harm to me for speaking up. 
He says in his next email that he would do unpredictable stuff to people like me. 
Hindi Blog Reporter writes 
In latest post at her blog she gives an account of the threatening mails she is receiving from this group which claims to be an old player in cyber industry. 
Inji after a short research finds out that apart from running porn sites this group is also in the business of donating the orphanages nice diversification. 
It also appears that Kerals.com has stolen content from other blogs with giving credit, or acknowledging the fact that they did not create the content. 
Jayarajan's Blog writes 
I express my strong protest against Kerals.com for copying contents from malayalam blogs(Also see this). 
Besides this, their support team has threatened and abused fellow blogggers who complained of this disgusting act (here, here and here). And as if that is not enough, they have indulged in cyberstalking. 
Thulasi digs deeper and writes 
Recently I've noted copyright infringments by Mazhathully.com. 
They have copied my photographs from this blog withour prior approval, written permission or proper attribution. 
Moreover they have placed watermarks of Kerals.com on those pictures. 
Then I went to search for details of these two websites and found both are primarly owned by a single company named Anashwara Company PVT LTD. 
I was shocked to find that the one who copied my photo, and watermarked it with his name and company's logo was none other than CEO of Kerals.com. 
Saptavarnangal rounds up the controversy, with a timeline of the issues as they unfolded and writes about the other websites maintained by the same group. 
As we all know by now, the contents from various Malayalam blogs were lifted to fill the Malayalam portal section of kerals.com. 
This was first reported by Saji and there are a lot of posts which clearly mentions the extend of plagiarism done by kerals.com. 
Another site http://www.mazhathully.com/ has lifted the photos from the photoblog of Thulasi and Kumar.( I had sent a greeting to Kumar which uses one of Kumar's photo published in his blog, he saw that and informed me that he has written to Kerals.com to remove his photos from their web site.) 
Kerals.com and mazhathully.com belongs to ( GoDaddy.com check) one 'Anashwara Group of Company PVT LTD' which many say is using fake addresses in US as well as in JK, India. 
When I checked now, http://www.mazhathully.com/ site is in a suspended state. 
the breeze also mentions that that a representative from Kerals.com appears to have dragged Inji Pennu's name out and created a fake website. 

Iraq: Black - The Colour of Grief · Global Voices 
Iraqi women are now accustomed to wearing black - the colour of grief and mourning, notes Inside Iraq. 
But amid the darkness and gloom, some young women admit to wearing brown, green and even pink! 
According to Correspondent Jenan: 
Black is the favorite color for Iraqi women's clothing-not because they like it, but because they are used to wearing it. 
For decades Iraqi women have suffered from wars, sometimes losing their loved ones. 
That has caused them to wear black to show their deep grief. 
Such a custom, means brisk business for fabric merchants. 
Jenan points: 
Even Iraqi merchants import black clothes more than any other color, to meet demands of the marketplace. 
"What other standards do Iraqi women fellow to choose the color of their clothes?" asks Jenan and then responds: 
The most widely used, as explained earlier, is black. 
Besides for mourning, black is also used in our traditional costume called an aba (gown). 
The blogger relates her personal experience with her mother, who has donned black from head to toe for 28 years. 
She writes: 
Ever since 1980 until today I see my mom wearing black clothes from the top of her head to her toes. 
She first started wearing back after the death of my father 28 years ago, and she has never changed it even once, despite whatever happiness has happened in our family. 
My mom is like millions of Iraqi women who lost their husbands, brothers, sons or other loved ones. 
Once I aasked my mom to put at least a white scarf on her head instead of a black one,. 
She replied: “It is shameful wearing colorful clothes if you have lost your beloved." 
My mom was convinced that women who lost their loved ones shouldn’t wear any color but black. 
What about Jenan? 
What does she like? 
She confesses: 
As for myself, I like to wear different colors. 
I especially like brown and green-and sometimes even pink! 
It doesn't have to be a special occasion for me to wear pink, just whenever I feel like it. 
Besides abas, we wear veils, and they should be color-coordinated with the other color you are wearing. 
Underneath the aba, you can wear any color you wish, but for the veil which goes over and around your head, it should be harmonious with the color of your aba. 
You should also wear only black sandals with your black aba. 
With other colors of clothes, you can wear different shoes of different colors. 

Dominican Republic: Questioning the Milk Given to School Children · Global Voices 
Photo by Guille Padilla and used under a Creative Commons license 
In what might seem small inconsequential news, the Dominican Republic is going through a milk scandal and it is being blogged that sugar water is being given to school children in place of whole or regular milk. 
The Daily Dominican writes: 
The Dominican Pediatrics Society (SDP) is calling for the Ministry of Education to discontinue the purchase of a breakfast drink that a TV investigative journalist Nuria Piera determined fails to meet its own established minimum standards of nutrition. 
Dr. Tharsis Hernandez, president of the SDP said that what the Ministry is serving is "whey" or "water with sugar. 
The ministry of education has a contract with a number of different milk providers, one of which is the Dominican Dairy Producers (Ladom), according to Blog Santo Domingo . 
The official who is presiding over the quality of the milk given to school children is Minister Alejandrina German, whose daughter works in an administrative position with Ladom. 
German stated that this liquid is not toxic: 

Hungary: Photoblogging · Global Voices 
As the Global Voices Citizen Media Summit in Budapest is less than one week away, and after introducing a few Hungarian food blogs, we have been now browsing through Hungarian photoblogs. 
There are many of them and the quality is very high, so here's just a little sample. 
Probably the most popular photoblog on Budapest is Budapest Daily Photo, by the same author as The Budapest Guide. 
Moreover, his photos can also be viewed in his Flickr account. 
The two photos below are from Budapest Daily Photo, the left one is of St Lázsló (Saint Ladislaus): 
Ladislaus is one of the most respected kings of Hungary. 
Following a long period of civil wars, he strengthened the royal power in his kingdom by introducing severe legislation. 
After his canonisation, Ladislaus became the model of the chivalrous king in Hungary. 
The photo on the right is of a tree sign that he found on the János-Hill in Buda. 
The multimedia blog Explore Hungary often has photosets of trips, the latest one being the Szamos Marzipan Museum in Szentendre. 
The author also has a Flickr photostream where lots of photos of Hungary and Budapest can be found, such as the one below of a building facade in Budapest. 
Ervin Sperla's photoblog has some impressive photos of Budapest, such as the one below of a new bridge being built over the Danube. 
A whole photoset of the bridge can be also found on his Flickr photostream. 
Another artistic photoblog is Naked Eye, where the photo below of an Impala car in the center of Budapest is taken from. 
His recent photos also include an image taken with a pinhole camera, and two images of the Hungarian dish Lecsó. 
Dimi's Fotolog has both colour and black and white pictures of random scenes in Budapest, capturing daily moments of unexpected intimacy and truth. 
The picture below is taken from this surprising Fotolog. 
Another interesting photoblog is Andrey's, which has several photos of Budapest's cafés such as this one below. 
Several Hungarian photoblogs can also be found on Aminus3, a high-quality photoblog hosting. 
For example, user Flmstrp has photos of lively people taken in and around Budapest, or beautiful night cityscapes such as this one below. 
And for those that didn't find enough Hungary photos in those photoblogs, they can explore the Hungary Starts Here Flickr Pool, where photos such as the one below of Budapest Keleti railway station can be found. 

Japan: Bloggers on food crisis feast, G8 over Skype? · Global Voices 
The G8 Summit at Toyako, Hokkaido , ended on June 9th after three days of meetings, leaving a bitter aftertaste for some bloggers in Japan. 
With a total cost for organization and security estimated as enough to treat millions of HIV patients, and protests by thousands of farmers and activists from around the world, the event was not without its controversy. 
The G8 Summit - New CHITOSE airport (from Flickr user mujitra) CC-BY 
Many bloggers questioned the high costs of the event, pointing out how environmentally unfriendly it was. 
Blogger gooorii, on the other hand, considered some of the outcomes of the G8 summit to have been positive: 

India: Should Pre-Marital HIV Testing Be Mandatory? · Global Voices 
In an attempt to lower HIV rates, the Indian state of Maharashtra introduced a controversial proposal earlier this year, which would make it compulsory for couples to undergo an HIV test before getting married. 
Similar bills have been proposed in other Indian states, such as Karnataka, Goa, and Andhra Pradesh. 
The proposed bill adds fuel to an ongoing debate in India about whether mandatory pre-marital HIV testing is an effective prevention strategy. 
HIV rates in India skyrocketed in the 1990’s and today it's estimated that around 2.5 million Indians are living with HIV. 
Despite these numbers, the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) encourages voluntary HIV testing, rather than compulsory testing. 
blog.bioethics.net points out that such a policy will create a number of new issues for India to address. 
"Will the mandatory testing policy create a new stigmatized underclass? 
How would the policy protect women in India, when many of them end up being infected after marriage by unfaithful spouses? 
Will HIV positive persons start gravitating towards other HIV positive persons as their only likely marriage partners (a form of what is known as ‘serosorting’)?" 
Bobby Ramakant of Citizen News Service argues that this kind of policy infringes on a person's right to privacy and doesn't address the stigma and discrimination that follow an HIV diagnosis. 
The policy may also be counter-productive, since an HIV test alone won't necessarily lead to the behavioral changes needed to lower HIV transmission rates. 
"The paramount progress we have made in terms of NOT thinking about prevention and treatment in isolation is at risk to be lost with Indian states promoting HIV prevention strategies completely ignoring the treatment, care and support provisions for people living with HIV." 
Queer India goes a step further, calling the idea absurd. 
"A crazy idea doesn’t take time to take root in a climate of fear and ignorance, a climate where even talking about safer sex is shameful." 
Reason for Liberty also opposes mandatory testing, but says that voluntary testing can be beneficial, especially since HIV has now made its way into India's middle class. 
Voluntary pre-martial HIV testing may be one of the solutions, along with legalizing prostitution and talking more openly about sex, to help lower HIV rates in India. 
"Despite all shaggy faiths and belief system, it is highly improbable to shut eyes and accept that Indian middle class is safe. 
In reality I feel that the middle class is more vulnerable to HIV then others. 
When middle class people can stress on horoscope matching , why cannot they accept pre-marital HIV testing?" 
Mahima, however, supports compulsory testing and says that the real question is what is the implication of such a test? 
"The authority that has these results in its hand, in this case the state government, can one trust it enough to be sure this won’t be the beginning of a HIV-cleansing (if you will). 
But if we are being hypothetical, then why not consider that the mere existence of this test might encourage younger people- even married couples - (if its made compulsory every couple of years) to behave responsibly. 
Because ultimately, for the most part this is a behavioral disease and with adequate precaution, can be totally avoided." 
Sakshi summarizes both sides of the debate. 
Though her initial response to the question of mandatory HIV testing was yes, she now sits on the fence. 
"What it all boils down to is - premarital HIV test allows for a RIGHT to a safe happy life that a couple can choose to take. 
However, our own pre-conceived notions about the disease, our family’s discomfort and our society’s mental block may stop many of us from taking up this right. 
But at times, something as insignificant as our pre-conceived notions can end up being a matter of life and death. 
And therefore I believe it’s simply question of one’s right. 
What about you?" 
Photo of Maharashtra Painting of Bride by yashrg on Flickr. 

India: All about the Theatre! · Global Voices 
A bunch of IT professionals, with a hectic weekday schedule, are keeping themselves busy even during the weekends. 
They have been smitten by the theatre bug. 
‘Rebelz’ as they are otherwise known, formed this group with just one purpose in mind. To provide quality English language plays in Chennai, and also of course to have fun. 
Vinodh, one of the core members, just can’t disengage himself from this passion he shares with his bunch. 
He writes: “Come weekends and we’re at our efficient best in rehearsals. 
Memorizing dialogues, working out the sound ideas, imagining our costumes, and rehearsing our scenes. 
Playing pranks on each other keeps us all charged up, after all we are in the serious business of making people laugh.” 
The countdown for their next production “Once upon a time in Arabia” has begun and they are working overtime for this magical journey to be staged on July 26 and 27, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. 
If you happen to be in Chennai, if you’d like to catch the show you can get your tickets at ticketsnew. 
Deepa, from Bangalore is calling the recent play she watched, ‘The women in me’, as ‘An intense and absorbing play’. 
The play is about a man whose wife is dead and he is deeply troubled by that and has lost his emotional balance. 
Based on the concept - 'There is a woman in every man and vice versa'. 
“The play disturbed me and made me think hard; I am very impressed that such a young man is able to delve so deeply into the male and female psyche and bring out the nuances of how men do not even understand when they are raping their own wives…” 
1976 was also significant in history because during that time, the once proud democracy, India was under the clutches of tin pot dictator, Indira Gandhi who had declared a state of Emergency as the Prime Minister of the nation.” 
She goes on to give more information on why the play was named after ‘Lucknow’, not ‘Delhi’, ‘Bombay’ or ‘Calcutta’. 
"But then why 'Lucknow' and why not 'Delhi' or 'Bombay' or 'Calcutta' or 'Madras' or 'Bangalore'? 
Because the director and playwright of the play, Abhishek Majumdar (AM) had spent some part of his childhood in this city. During AM's visits to Lucknow, his grand uncle, a scholar of history and geology had inundated his mind with tales and chronicles about the city from an old bungalow." 
Unlike films, plays are not a passive, one-way, pre-packaged experience. 
In plays, as in films, there are rehearsals. 
But once the show gets going, a theatre artiste does not have the opportunity to give another ‘take’ – to make another attempt at mouthing a dialogue: what has been said, has been said. 
Audience reactions affect acting as it happens. 
The warmth in the tone of a speaker travels directly to the viewer; a glimmer of a tear in the performer’s eye immediately causes the spectator to respond. 
A skilled actor, through the blend of voice, tone, gestures and outfits succeeds in creating a world and transporting his audience to it. 
The actor’s energy expands and fills up the space which is also occupied by the viewer; the energy flows from one to the other. 
I want this in Shimla. I want this for Shimla. 
The Mumbai Theatre Guide is a dedicated site for reviews and different theatre related events happening in the city of Mumbai. 

AIDS: XVII International Conference call for videos · Global Voices 
Image by Robert Miller used under cc license. 
The XVII International AIDS Conference will take place in Mexico City between August 3rd and the 8th, and Witness' THE HUB has a series of videos uploaded by community members and organizations reflecting diverse approaches to HIV-AIDS related issues. 
The innitiative is towards creating a repository of work, testimonies, video and photographs to be shared through their site before, during and after the conference. 
Videos already online in THE HUB's AIDS conference special coverage page include testimonials from India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Malawi. 
"Lives in Focus", a website on living with HIV/AIDS in India brings us A Medical Miracle, a video interview with a young girl living with HIV in a shelter. 
For this child, receiving first line anti-retroviral drugs has made it possible for her to thrive beyond expectations, surpassing the short life expectancy that used to be the norm for children with HIV/AIDS. 
In the 4 minute video, 12 year old Deepti sings her favorite song and tells about her life in the shelter. 
From the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Ajedi-ka organization is prompting viewers into action through a video excerpt titled Awaiting Tomorrow where 25 year old Jean-Jacques speaks about the current situation in the Eastern Congo, where the government doesn't provide economic aid towards purchasing medications, thus reducing the life expectancy of HIV/AIDS + population, and the government has also ignored the requests for testing and treatment centers. 
The Tichezerane AIDS Support group in Malawi has created a Participatory Video where they speak about their experience in the group, their daily activities and how the group has improved their lives. 
Their support of sick members, the workshops where they learn improved farming techniques so they can have fresh vegetables to eat and sell and the impact the group has had on married lives is also shown in the video. 

Tube Adventure: A Bilingual Quest Game on YouTube · Global Voices 
In The Tube Adventure, our hero leaves his house to buy some bread, but a vase falls on his head and gives him amnesia: he needs your help getting to the bakery, and on the road he'll meet other characters which will assign missions, should you choose to accept them. 
The goal is finding the bakery and purchasing bread, and multiple endings have been designed into the game. 
So far, the audio is only in Spanish, but comments on the video promise that next installments will be fully bilingual. 
The quest options and instructions do come both in English and Spanish. 
The game must be played inside YouTube for the options to be available, so please click on this video link to go straight to their page to play it. 
On their blog, Cordero TV: 

Will Bangladesh drown? · Global Voices 
Bangladesh is a nation which is on the front line of the consequence of the climate changes. 
Being a populous river delta nation it faces the threat of sea level rise due to global warming. 
This threat is not new as often floods make hundreds of thousands of people homeless, because a large portion of the country submerge under water during large floods. 
But the resilient people of this country rise and start all over again to progress as a nation. 
Image courtesy: Desh Calling 
While the threat of sea-level rise is very much plausible, recent media reports have gone a bit far in indicating that Bangladesh is set to disappear under the waves by the end of the century. 
These kinds of views have drawn a lot of criticism in the media and in the blogosphere. 
Writer and columnist Anisul Haque writes in Priyo.com: 
In the next 50 years this could add up to the country gaining 1,000 square kilometers. 
In the Bangla blogging community Sachalayatan the issue gave rise to an interesting debate. 
Himu argues that the threat is not mere rumor and it has some substance. 
Papua New Guinea, Australia and Tasmania were separated from each other because of sea-level rise. 
A commenter Siraj opines in his post: 
It is very important in this world to be positive and work out your problems at the same time. 
So instead of creating a panic that Bangladesh will drown the world needs to work out ways to hinder such consequences of climate change in affected countries without employing shrewd politics. 

AIDS 2008: Lifting the Travel Ban on HIV-Positive People · Global Voices 
The XVII International AIDS Conference ended in Mexico City last week, leaving participants with much to focus on until the next conference, which takes place in Vienna in 2010. 
One of these areas of focus are the travel restrictions imposed on HIV-positive people entering a country for the short or long-term. 
Conference organizers and many officials at the event condemned these policies as discriminatory and shameful. 
SciDev.Net's conference blog reports that: 
"An issue widely discussed in the AIDS 2008 conference is the fact that several countries deny the entry, stay or residence of HIV-positive people because of their HIV status. 
According to the publication Entry denied, published by UNAIDS in partnership with other organisations and distributed at the conference, at least 67 countries are on the list of those that deny the entry to people living with HIV/AIDS." 
Mexico, where AIDS 2008 was held, has no traveling restrictions for people with HIV/AIDS, but 65 or so other nations enforce some degree of restriction on the estimated 33 million people living with HIV globally. 
Seven nations, according to the European AIDS Treatment Group, impose a complete entry ban on HIV-positive people: Brunei, Oman, Qatar, Sudan, South Korea, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. 
Countries with such restrictions often argue that it helps protect public health and avoid costs associated with treating HIV-positive people from other nations. 
David Cozac, who blogged about the human rights sessions at AIDS 2008, says that experts disagreed with such arguments. 
"During a session on travel restrictions for people living with HIV, participants decried the fact that although there is no evidence that travel restrictions have a positive public health impact, 67 countries still have restrictions in place." 
One of the countries with such restrictions is China. 
Despite hopes that China would lift its HIV-related traveling restrictions before the Olympics, the country has maintained them, even during the games. 
Under their current regulations, tourists and short-term visitors must declare their HIV status, and those planning to stay long-term must undergo a blood test; if found to be HIV-positive, they are refused entry. 
Denise Patterson, blogging from Thailand, comments on China's ban of visitors with AIDS and other health conditions during the Olympics: 
" A ban on people with mental illnesses or sexually transmitted diseases? 
That is very amusing. 
If the Chinese government believes they can control every aspect of the Olympics, they are sadly mistaken… … According to 2007 statistics, published by the World Health Organization, the HIV/AIDS rate in China is 2.9% of the population. 
The 'ban' doesn't seem to be working." 
However, China may be responding to the pressure. 
China Daily reports that Hao Yang, deputy director of the ministry's disease control and prevention bureau, told the publication at AIDS 2008 that the two-decade-old HIV/AIDS travel ban will likely be lifted in 2009. 
China may be following America's lead for change. 
In July U.S. President George W. Bush signed legislation to repeal the statutory ban on entry into the U.S. for HIV-positive tourists, students, and immigrants, taking the first step needed to eliminate the ban. 
However, for the ban to be completely lifted, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must now remove HIV from a list of diseases that prevent people from entering the U.S. HIV is currently still on the list. 
Kevinf, posting on ToTheCenter.com, writes about the positive reaction to this repeal. 
"Many AIDS experts and rights activists find the new legislation to be a cause for celebration. 
Previously, travel restrictions could cause more trouble than they prevented, causing people with HIV to lie about their condition. 
It was discriminatory and would also lead to many of the infected to lie." 
David Munar posts this video of Rev. Christo Greyling of World Vision International, where he discusses why such travel bans are detrimental and raises questions about the U.S. repeal. 
LauraK, blogging for AIDS 2008's youth site, warns that the U.S. repeal is a major step, but not the final one. 
"It is now up to the Secretary of Health to change regulations to reflect the new legislation. 
HIV must be taken off of the list of diseases that mean inadmissibility to the United States, but Congresswoman Lee is confident that this will happen soon." 
She goes on to share how such travel restrictions have impacted those with HIV, as she witnessed at an AIDS 2008 questioning period. 
"One man came forward to express the sense of betrayal felt by those forced out by the restrictions, he had personal experience as a US citizen living in Canada with a partner who is HIV-positive. 
He still loved his country, he told the panel, but he was ashamed and angry with his government for initiating the repressive legislation that forced him to choose between his country and his partner, as well as for taking 20 years to address it." 
Photo of Red Traveling Suitcase by tofutti break on Flickr. 

Egypt: A Racist Video Game · Global Voices 
Muslim Massacre is a video game that has been released lately, where gamers have to use all sorts of weapons to kill as many Muslims and Muslim figures as they can, including ALLAH Almighty. 
Egyptian bloggers react. 
Zeinobia is alarmed that young people are embracing violence is such a manner and enjoying themselves "wiping off" adherents of another religion: 
I will not deny that it is disturbing because those who play these games are generally from the young generations who are raised upon the hate of another religion and its believers to that extent that they want to wipe them. 
Spreading the culture of violence through that means or way is not less dangerous than other ways of spreading the culture of violence. 
Video games in general are proving to be dangerous more and more, GTA inspired crimes are moving from North America to Asia. 
Tarek echoes similar sentiments: 
The issue here is not the game itself; it's that endless chain reaction that really scares me. 
The media, circumstances and fundamental Wahabis deeds started it a while ago, and they all succeeded in brainwashing people’s minds and created that evil Muslim stereotype in their minds. 
Then people like the Danish Cartoonists and this Computer Games Developer started to reproduce this stereotype and feed it back to the media and people around them. 
And frankly I can't tell how this endless loop will end. 
In fact some reasonable newspapers and TV channels in the west started to exert some efforts in order to stop all this, but it's now like an imp, once you get it out of its bottle, it's really hard to get it back there again. 

Pakistan: Zardari flirts and the Blogosphere reacts · Global Voices 
The president of Pakistan Mr. Asif Ali Zardari met with the US Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin in New York recently and used flirtatious words during the discussion. 
It seemed more like a courtship than a political meeting. 
Zardari made the following comments: 
"You are even more gorgeous in life. . ." 
"Now I know why the whole of America is crazy about you" 
When a photographer asked to shake hands for the second time, Zardari responded candidly: 
"If he is insisting, I might hug. ." 
Pakistani blogosphere has responded to this critically; some joked about it while others were furious at him. 
Let us have a look: 
Altaf Khan at The Pakistani Spectator writes: 
Just after showing his intense mourning (with ashen face) of the assassination of his late wife Benazir Bhutto, Asif Ali Zardari met the beauty Queen of Alaska and the Republican runner for the Vice President, and twice admired her stunning looks. 
Sexy and dazzling Palin was ecstatic, though now as she is being painted as a Barbie doll for the foreign presidents by the Democrats, there is another row to haggle upon for the political analysts. 
Shakir Lakhani at Chowrangi mentions that the president's behavior was against Islamic principles: 
I wonder how the president of an Islamic Republic can even think of hugging a woman who is not closely related to him. 
But Mr. Zardari even said (that) he would hug her if his aide insisted (the aide had merely asked him to shake hands with her). 
Dr. Awab Alvi at Teeth Maestro notices: 
It seems to have been the perfectly scripted conversation as temporal had predicted well before the actual Sarah Palin and Asif Zardari meetup. 
There maybe some fanatics in Pakistan who may even cringe at seeing him shaking hands with a women, but whatever the objection and whether we like it or not it has become a routine in western interactions and I might even suggest that such flirtatious comments might even be the norm but I dare to say, at least not on camera. 
It is quite possible that Sarah Palin considered these as a complement, but if you were to observe the video footage of the exchange she does feel a little uneasy. 
Adnan Siddiqi was not courteous to Zardari in his words: 
We must thank Zardari as he represented (the) Pakistani nation, especially Pakistani men in front of (the) Americans. 
Yesterday when Zardari met Sarah Palin then he could not control his emotions and showed all his teeth (not sure they are genuine since I heard they were pulled out when he was in jail) and expressed love in a typical (..) style which is common among Pakistani men. 
During the whole meeting Zardari was not found mourning about BiBi like he is used to mourn in every press conference in Pakistan. 

India: Community Journalism with Video Volunteers · Global Voices 
Video Volunteers is a non-profit organization of media producers from the villages and slums in India, creating content that is relevant to themselves and screening it inside the communities, reaching thousands of people a month with news and events that affect them and call them into action. 
Channel 19 is the online video channel where this media, created by and for the communities is showcased for the rest of the population. 
In the latest video from Video Volunteers, there talk about the strike in Dharavi, the world's largest slum in Mumbai, India. 
The reason for this strike is that the government had promised an allotment of 400 square feet per family to build, but they went back on that and during the last meeting, they had discussed that it would only be 300 square feet per family. 
The following video, Black Day in Dharavi, has the complete story, shot and produced by the video volunteers: 
Other videos by the VideoVolunteers of Channel 19 are insightful and inspiring: on Women Can Play Too!, the community journalists ask around their slum about what kids do to play. 
It turns out boys play, while girls have to do chores. 
So they ask a female cricket player about the importance of playing, as an inspiration for other girls to do the same. 
In Never too late to teach, a woman rag picker decides to change her future and decides to study to become a teacher and get certified. 

Egypt: Blogger Blocks Nawara's Blog · Global Voices 
It seems that it is not only third world regimes who block people's blogs. 
Apparently, Google's Blogspot has decided to join the bandwagon, and has blocked Nawara Negm's Blog (Tahyees ), without specifying any reasons. 
And according to Google Reader's statistics publishes 24.7 blog posts a week, i.e. more than 3.5 post per day. 
Who else can publish such number of posts which are full of ideas and analysis? 
Nawara has her own distinguished style as she writes in non-traditional Arabic slang. 
I expect her blog to be back in few days, after Blogger checks its content, as there is nothing in her blog that violates Blogger's terms and conditions. 
But till then, everyone suspects her return. 

India: Recession In Marriage Market · Global Voices 
According to Über Desi the slowdown in the economy in many parts of the world is also affecting the marriages in India as demands for Non Resident Indian (NRI) grooms plunged. 

Bangla News Headline Aggregator in Unicode · Global Voices 
On a trail less travelled shares the link of a new site (Kashphool.com) which aggregates news headlines (সংবাদ শিরোনাম) from Bangla/Bengali online newspapers published from Bangladesh and India converting them in Unicode from different dynamic-font schemes. 

Armenia: Musical Prime Minister · Global Voices 
Unzipped posts a summary in English of an informal meeting between some local bloggers and the new prime minister of Armenia. 
The blog notes that the posts by Alkhimik and 517design reveal the prime minister plays guitar and enjoys art-house films. 
All three blogs post photographs. 

Mexico: Shoeshiner Uses YouTube to Increase Business · Global Voices 
Editor's Note: The photograph taken by Issa Villarreal of a shoeshiner in Monterrey, Mexico, who is marketing himself via YouTube first appeared on the blog Ocho Cuartos . 
The sign reads, "Search on YouTube or Google for The Shoeshiner with Two Brushes" 
It is easy to distinguish Juan Luna from other shoeshiners in downtown Monterrey, Mexico. 
His stand, located at the intersection of Escobedo and Padre Mier, has a sign inviting passers-by to search on YouTube and on Google for his video titled, "The Shoeshiner with Two Brushes." 
"It was my idea," he explains while attending to one of his clients. "The idea was to promote myself to reach more people. Break free from old customs." 
Juan is ambidextrous: he takes a brush in each hand and shines a shoe with each one. 
He considers himself skillful and also innovative for the way that he works: he adds teflon to the polish so that water and dust slides off the shoes. That way, the protection can last 2 weeks and he still charges the same as the rest. In his YouTube video, one can see how he uses two brushes, as well as his daily inspiration: a photograph of his family. 
This short clip - a minute in duration - has been online for six months and has already drawn 4,500 visits since May 2008. 
He has ten years of experience as a shoeshiner. 
It was a few months ago, when he looked for a sponsor (a wedding company in Monterrey) to record and edit his video of his stand in the heart of the city, where he has been for a year. "My clients encourage me because there are no other that shines with two brushes because I am ambidextrous. We are going to make other types of videos and not just the funny ones that are on YouTube," said Juan. 
"Clients have arrived because they saw me on the internet," he explains when asked about the impact of publishing his video. 
"Someone recommended (the video) or they saw it by chance and they became curious to see him in person." "The best shoeshiner in the world" is his promotional slogan. 
Juan is not shy when it comes to talk about his strategy and about his confidence that he has with the digital media. 
"One of the reasons (for the video) is that everyone who appears on YouTube is that you never get to meet them," he said, "and I am the only one that you can see in person and meet me." 

India: The Advent of Citizen-Driven Election Monitoring · Global Voices 
This post is part of the Global Voices special coverage on Indian Elections 2009 
We are living in an era of information overload. As new media tools are becoming accessible to more and more people, everybody is chipping in with their sides of a story and disseminating first hand reports. 
Today there is a plethora of instant information via twitter messages and other citizen media tools. 
The phenomenon like the successful use of Twitter during Mumbai attacks is unpredictable, has value in real time and cannot be archived. 
That is where Ushahidi makes a difference. 
Ushahidi ('witness' in Swahili) is an tool that was used to map reports of violence in Kenya after the post-election fallout at the beginning of 2008. 
It provided a mechanism for the local observers to submit reports using their mobile phones or the internet. 
The information was filtered by local activist volunteers and an archive of the events were kept in an website using geographical mashup which is accessible to readers. 
Its success led to its replication as a tool for crisis reporting in some other places of the world. 
Eric Hersman, one of the persons behind Ushahidi describes the process of filtering the information in Ushahidi: 
Crowdsourcing the filter: how does it work? 
The good news is that the Ushahidi model has been introduced in India too. 
Vote Report India, a collaborative citizen-powered election monitoring platform based on the Ushahidi engine, will monitor the parliamentary elections in India, which is starting in a few weeks from now. 
Eric Hersman writes: 
At Ushahidi, we’ve seen a number of deployments of the platform, but few have been as well organized and grown with as much community input as this Indian one, led by Gaurav Mishra. 
On the technical side, Selvam Velmurugan of eMoshka, a non-partisan non-profit organization to enable stronger democracies through increased citizen awareness and engagement, has done most of the heavy lifting. 
Interestingly, Indian has a Twitter-like service called SMS GupShup that has millions of users subscribing to certain channels. 
The team is creating city-specific update accounts on Twitter and SMSGupShup for the top 8 cities in India (ex: VoteReportMumbai, VoteReportDelhi etc.). 
They can then point the RSS feeds for these cities to these accounts and give users four options for subscribing to alerts: by email, by RSS, or by SMS on Twitter or SMSGupShup. 
Gaurav Mishra of Vote Report India, also a Global Voices author, writes in his own blog: 
Basically, users contribute direct SMS, email, and web reports on violations of the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct (PDF). 
The platform will then aggregate these direct reports with news reports, blog posts, photos, videos and tweets related to the elections from all relevant sources, in one place, on an interactive map. 
We are hoping that Vote Report India will not only increase transparency and accountability in the Indian election process, but also provide the most complete picture of public opinion in India during the elections. 
In a previous post Gaurav weighed on Twitter and Ushahidi to find out which is the better mobile citizen reporting tool considering India's situation. 
Indians can send in reports to Vote Report India in four ways: 1. 
2. Email to report@votereport.in 3. 
Online via web form 

Celebrity Power in Indian Elections · Global Voices 
Salman Khan (center), a Bollywood super star, campaigns in support of Congress party candidate Milind Deora at a rally in Mumbai Photo by Al Jazeera English and used under a creative commons license. 
In India movie stars and filmmakers wield enormous influence and that point was drawn dramatically by Danny Boyle in the movie Slumdog Millionaire (hint: it is the toilet scene). 
Interestingly, the entertainment industry's (especially Bollywood or the Hindi film industry based in Mumbai) involvement in Indian politics was pretty marginal with a few a actors and some film makers participating in the election campaign process. 
But, there was an exception. 
The Southern state of Tamil Nadu, which is the first state in the world to effectively harness and use the film medium for political purposes right from the 1940s. 
During the late 1960s this nexus between politicians and the Tamil film industry reaped handsome dividends for Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and led to the formation of the first non-Congress government in the state. 
Since then various offshoots of DMK party have alternately been in power in Tamil Nadu. 
By the 1980s there was a steady trickle of entertainers into the political arena. 
In some cases they successfully contested and formed governments (like NTR and his Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh) or were voted/nominated to the Indian Parliament. 
Fast forward to 2009 and the involvement of entertainers from Bollywood (or the Hindi film industry) based in Mumbai and the Tamil and Telugu film industry have registered a significant spike in the election campaign. 
Telugu actor Chiranjeevi launched a new political party in Andhra Pradesh, while Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt failed to get nominated because of his criminal record in the 1993 Mumbai blast. 
In Tamil Nadu former actress and Chief Minister Jayalalitha is in the running after being defeated in the previous elections. But, it is the involvement of Bollywood folks that has captured peoples' imagination. 
Bollywood actor cum blogger Amitabh Bachchan offers a glimpse of his thoughts on the upcoming Indian elections. He writes: 
"The elections are upon us. 
Elections in the largest and most thriving democracy in the world. 
TV has nothing else to offer but the electoral scenario unfolding upon us. 
Exit polls and analysis and who will win from where and who said what to whom and why. 
Even the media questionnaires that come across to us are full of queries on politics. 
Friends have become foes, foes have become friends. 
Games and manipulations all parties play to come to power. 
To win for the next 5 years and remain in governance. 
To them politics is an aphrodisiac, an elixir, that compels them to perform." 
Bachchan's wife Jaya Bachchan has been active politically for a few years now. 
What could be the driving force that has prompted so many Bollywood actors to step out of their comfort zone and do their bit for this Indian election campaign? 
Gaurav Shukla of India Election 2009 might have unearthed the answer to that question. 
He writes: 
"Celebrities who used to keep politics at an arms length have surprisingly chosen to rally around the need to vote this time. 
Industry experts suggest that the Mumbai terror attacks in November last year may be the reason for this change...Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, John Abraham, Kamal Haasan, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Anurag Kashyap, Shriya Sharan, Shruti Haasan and Sushmita Sen are among those who have joined the chorus." 
Besides being the face and voice of the voter awareness campaign, Khan went one step further and helped produce the videos and audio pieces. AamirKhanblog writes: 
"The ads have been made by the actor’s production company, Aamir Khan Productions, free of cost. 
An ‘A’ list Bollywood ensemble has put together this campaign. 
Everybody is working for the campaign gratis. 
The ad campaign is being aired in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, Assamese and Oriya so that it can reach out to the masses." 
Aamir Khan, who is also a blogger reminds Indian voters to make an informed choice when they cast their post. 
He wrote in his blog post: 
To all Indians, remember to vote, and make an informed choice. 
Meaning, check out all the candidates from your area before you decide who to vote for. 
Khan is vacationing in Montana, but according to media reports will fly back to Mumbai and cast his vote on April 30th, the day the commercial and entertainment capital of India goes to the polls. 
Besides Khan, a whole slew of Bollywood actors and filmmakers have volunteered their time for various election mobilization and awarness programs. 
Perhaps, the most significant one is the involvement of the entertainment industry in the non-profit organization called Jaagore (that translates to "Wake up"). 
The NGO has created powerful short video clips like this one where Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor points out that average age an Indian is 23 years old, while the average age of a a cabinet minister in the Federal Governmnet is 62 years old. 
Or, watch this video clip by Bollywood film director Rakeysh Omprakash, where he points out that in the state of Rajasthan a politician won the elections by one vote. 
This post is part of the Global Voices special coverage on Indian Elections 2009 

India: Geographical Mashup on Election · Global Voices 
MapmyIndia is a public service website to help voters in India make an informed choice on issues that matter to them during the forthcoming parliamentary elections. 
Navigating easily from the digital map the voters can view extensive location based data on constituencies and analyze information on parties, candidates and their track records. 

Pakistan: Clamp On SMS Services · Global Voices 
Jazba's blog reports that the Pakistan government is considering to suspend sms services in Pakistan to prevent the terrorists, who uses sms to execute their attacks. 
At present 70% of the population in the country are using mobile phones and many of them use sms messaging. 

Bangladesh: The Rich Culture Of New Year Celebrations · Global Voices 
An ordinary citizen writes about the rich culture of celebrating the Bangla New Year, Pahela Baishakh in Bangladesh. 

India: Voting Rights For Indians Living Abroad · Global Voices 
Law and Other Things blog discusses the legal aspects of providing voting rights to the Indians working and studying abroad and comments: "giving them the right to vote may help entice them to stay politically active and think of themselves as invested in their country's future in a different way." 

Some Interesting Factoids and Trivia About the Indian General Elections 2009 · Global Voices 
On April 16th, 2009 the first phase of the voting for the Indian general elections will begin and conclude on May 13th, 2009. 
This is the 15th general elections in India since it became independent in 1947. 
Over a million electronic voting machines: 
There are 714 million people that are eligible to vote. 
About 1,368,430 electronic voting machines have been deployed across the country. 
Restructuring of constituencies: 
This is the first time where quite a few states have been redistricted to allow more urban representation. 
Karnataka, especially Bangalore, is a case in point, where because of the redistricting there is an increase in the number of seats from the urban areas, when compared to the rural ones. 
40 million more voters: 
India’s population is over 1 billion and about 60 percent of the population is under the age of 35 years. 
There has been a well-coordinated multi-pronged media strategy to reach out to young voters, who form a significant chunk of the Indian electorate. 
Perhaps for the first time filmmakers and actors from the Indian film industry, especially Bollywood have stepped out of their comfort zone and pitched in to help in either election campaign and voter mobilization. 
According to one media report there are 40 million more voters in this election, when compared to the previous election held in 2004. 
Explosion of online information resources: 
What is significantly different about this general election is the amount of information that is available to the Indian voters through different media channels and languages. 
For instance, tech giants Yahoo! and Google have pitched in and created election special sites that is a mashup of maps, videos, audio and print. 
Most mainstream media have created election special sites for their online, broadcast and print versions. 
And then there is the ubiquitous mobile phones where every mobile user gets targeted SMS or voice messages from various political parties. 
The Election Commission of India has made available a wide range of information right from how to become a registered voter to political candidates, who have been disqualified to contest in this general elections. 
Over a thousand political parties taking part: 
According to the Election Commission of India there are a little over 1,000 political parties contesting at the local and national level according to this rather absorbing list of the various political parties and their political symbols. 
The Election Commission has done such a thorough job that they have also printed a list of free symbols that can be used by the political parties including kite, pressure cooker, diesel pump and kettle among others. 
The Election Commission has made available a lengthy document that is 333 pages long that lists 3423 candidates, who have been been disqualified to participate in this election. 
And perhaps for the first time there is an online website called No Criminals that is geared towards educating voters about political candidates that have a criminal record and stop them from contesting elections. 
According to one news report the Congress Party has the most number of rich politicians in the country: 121 members. 
Myths and predictions: 
There are quite a few myths that have built over the years about the Indian electorate. 
Yogendra Yadav, a well-known psephologist breaks some of the myths in this article published by the BBC. 
One of the myths that Yadav dispels is that currently more Indian women exercise their right to vote when compared to Indian men. 
Also, there has been a decline in the number of women, who turn to their husbands for political advice when it comes to voting. 
But, he does point out that Indian women tend to follow in the footsteps of their husbands when it comes to voting for political parties. 
When it comes to the youth votes in India Yadav points out: 
There is no evidence to suggest that the young are politically more active than others. 
If anything, they are less politically active - obviously they have other anxieties in life, like preparing for a professional career. 
One of the myths that Yadav did not address is the role of astrology and astrologers and their influence on politicians and their astrological predictions on the election outcome. 
Already reports have started streaming in from various astrologers that this election will result in a hung parliament meaning no single party wins a clear majority. 
I wonder if the astrologers based their predictions on the opinion polls that predict there will no clear winner in this election. 
What do you think? 

Global Lullabies: The Arrorró Project · Global Voices 
Artist Gabriela Golder from Argentina has taken it upon herself to discover, record and collect lullabies from all over the world, and to find connections among them in the Arrorró project. 
Rising Voices director David Sasaki wrote about the project on the 80+1 website, where he interviewed Gabriela on camera, and got authors and editors for Global Voices involved by inspiring many to record themselves singing the lullabies they remembered from their childhood. 
David Sasaki wrote: 
I sat down with Golder at El Hipopotamo in the San Telmo neighborhood of Buenos Aires to learn more about what has been discovered in the 200 videos that have already been recorded, and how the project will evolve over the next two months leading up to its simultaneous live exhibition in Buenos Aires and Linz. 
Our conversation was in Spanish, but I have added English sub-titles to the video: 
Inspired by the lullaby project, he recorded himself singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, a song he remembered his parents singing to him to send him to sleep: 
Our own Managing Director from Trinidad and Tobago, Georgia Popplewell also joined in, with Blanket Bay: 
"I am too poor and not attractive so I won't be sold.... 
Please go to sleep or a trafficker 
will come and get you... 
I wonder where all the girls are now and where they were sold to... 
Ororonbai, Ororoanbai..." 
First of all, thanks to all the authors and editors who participated with sending in their childhood lullabies and recommendations, even if we couldn´t include them in this post. 
Please wait for Part II! 
Thumbnail image modified from Wide© Raf.f's Lullaby ... 

Are Female Vigilantes The Answer To Stop Rapes In India? · Global Voices 
A 22-year-old intern working as a photojournalist at a magazine was gang-raped in Mumbai, India while on assignment on August 22, 2013. The injured victim underwent surgery and is now recuperating. One man out of five suspects has been arrested so far. 
Like the Delhi gang-rape case (see Global Voices report) in December 2012, yesterday's incident has also evoked nationwide outrage and a renewed search for solutions. 
The mainstream and social media are buzzing with discussions on how to stop these rapes. 
Statistics showed that 244,270 crimes against women were reported to the Indian police in 2012 compared with 228,650 in 2011, according to the National Crimes Records Bureau. 
Members of the the Red Brigade from a small village in Lucknow, the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh, are taking matters into their own hands by taking direct action against sexual harassment. Led by 25-year-old teacher Usha Vishwakarma, the Red Brigade began in 2010, about four years after the similar Gulabi Gang. 
As the Guardian reported, members of The Red Brigade take: Direct action against their tormentors and now when a local man steps out of line, he can expect a visit from the group. The Red Brigade girls. 
If a man has been found to be harassing a girl, he is ordered to stop. 
Meet India's Red Brigade in Lucknow, they protect women and Girls from rapists!!! http://t.co/WogM9Cygyh — Tosin (@Olutosin) August 14, 2013 
As of August 23, activists and journalists gathered at Hutatama Chowk in south Mumbai in a silent protest. The opposition parties took up the issue in parliament and organizations took out rallies in different cities. 
The eldest one is 25 years old and the youngest of them is suspected to be 16. Thumbnail image courtesy Red Brigade's Facebook page. 
With additional inputs by Rezwan. 

Express Yourself: Blog Action Day on Human Rights! · Global Voices 
Since 2007, Blog Action Day has called upon bloggers around the world to hit the keys: One day, one topic, thousands of voices. 
The topic of this year is Human Rights - and the date is October 16. 
In joint effort, bloggers, podcasters and others will highlight the important global issue - and what better way of highlighting human rights than using one: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression" (Human Rights Declaration, Article 19). 
On Global Voices we often discuss human rights, especially in relationship to censorship, surveillance and free speech online. 
We look forward to dedicating a day to thinking and talking about a topic that never seems to lose relevance. 
So far, 1,377 blogs from 114 countries have registered to take part in Blog Action Day 2013. 
Register your blog today, and join the global conversation! 
The tags for this year are #BAD13, #HumanRights, #Oct16. 
As usual, we will list the contributions of Global Voices authors around the world – stay tuned! 

India: Happy Hours At Hospitals To Lure Patients · Global Voices 
Kamayani at Kracktivist reports that the Happy hours discount concept, which is popular across bars, restaurants and multiplexes, is now catching up in the Indian health care sector. 
A Bangalore based private hospital has recently started offering 30-75% discounts on key services, including diagnostics, radiology, and consultancy, during off-peak hours. 
Other leading hospital chains are preparing to follow soon. 

Conserving South Asian River Dolphin in Bangladesh · Global Voices 
Manish Datta, an EDGE fellow, is working to save the South Asian river dolphins in Bangladesh from a number of threats. 
In a blog he explains that a huge portion of the coastal people don’t even know that this is a species of dolphin and consume or kill them as a fish. 

Hungry in Haiti · Global Voices 
Why – when the country has received at least one billion U.S. dollars worth of food aid between 1995 and the 2010 earthquake – is hunger on the rise? 
Haiti Grassroots Watch examines "complaints and rumors about the misuse, abuse, or negative effects of food aid." 

Lima Will Host 2019 Pan American Games · Global Voices 
Peru's capital, Lima, was elected with 31 votes as the city that will host the 2019 Pan American Games, leaving Chile's Santiago, Argentina's La Punta and Venezuela's Ciudad Bolívar behind. 
On Twitter, some were happy about the news, like Nelson Peñaherrera C: 
So glad that the 2019 Pan American Games will be held in Lima! 
Let's get ready! 
But there was also skepticism: 
They are making such a big deal about it, as if someone actually follows the Pan American games. 

'World Habitat Day' Celebration in Cambodia · Global Voices 
Protesters decry land rights violations in Cambodia. 
Photo from Facebook of LicadhoMore than 500 Cambodians joined a protest march during the World Habitat Day celebration in Phnom Penh to highlight forced evictions and land disputes in the country. 

Thailand Shark Conservation Project · Global Voices 
The Thailand eShark Project was launched in light of the reported 95 percent drop in shark sightings in Thailand. 
The Thailand eShark Project results will be used to bring awareness to declining shark populations in Thailand. 

Japan: OpenStreetMap Aggregates Typhoon Info · Global Voices 
A screenshot of OpenStreetMap for Izu Oshima island. 
OpenStreetMap users volunteered their time to create a crisis map of Izu Oshima island , a small island to the south of Tokyo where more than a dozen of people were killed by mudslides triggered by this week's deadly Typhoon Wipha. 
The red dots on the map represent reports submitted by users, which give information on things such as disaster relief, blocked roads, and water supply. 

How Women Can Stay Safe In India · Global Voices 
The crimes against women are on the rise in India. 
Writer and blogger Shilpa Garg provides some tips on how women can stay alert and safe. 

Tipaimukh Dam -A Threat To Nature And Native Culture · Global Voices 
The Tipaimukh Dam in the Indian state of Manipur, has been planned for flood control and hydroelectric power production. 
However, In Search For Greener Partures blog reports that this dam will lead to severe changes in climate condition, affecting the livelihoods of over 20 million people in the lower riparian areas including neighboring Bangladesh and leading to temperature changes. 

Three Lessons on Dating in China · Global Voices 
Jocelyn Eikenburg from Speaking of China shared her experience in cross-cultural dating in China. 
The three lessons she had learned are: 1. 
Actions matter more than words; 2. 
Keep that past relationship in the past; and 3. 
It takes a lot longer to meet the parents. 

VIDEO: "No Woman, No Drive" Stuns Saudi Arabia · Global Voices 
Today, October 26, was the day Saudi activists chose to protest against the driving ban on women in the Kingdom. 
As social networks were buzzing under increasing number of reports of women driving across the country, a brilliant a capella remake of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" spread at the speed of light, in a sound support of brave women challenging conservative sexist legislation and pseudo-scientific justification of them being prohibited to enjoy freedom of movement: 

VIDEO: Saudi Man Beats Worker for "Talking to his Wife" · Global Voices 
A video of a Saudi man beating and insulting a foreign worker is making the rounds online. 
In the video, a Saudi man is seen repeatedly slapping the worker, from South Asia, accusing him of speaking to his wife. 
He calls the man an animal and a son of a dog, while spitting at him. 
He then starts kicking and whipping the man, who is heard screaming of pain. On Twitter, netizens react to the video with outrage. 
Countries shouldn't allow their citizens to go there... — Arie Amaya-Akkermans (@Dilmunite) April 6, 2012 
Such incidents are not new to the region, where expatriate workers are abused and denied basic human rights. Previously, this video of a Saudi man, slapping and hitting a Bangladeshi went viral. 
According to Human Rights Watch, while the Middle East depends heavily on domestic workers, it fails to protect them. 
A recent report reads: 
As Human Rights Watch, the IDWN, and the ITUC have documented, domestic workers in the Middle East – many of them migrants from Asia and Africa – experience a wide range of abuses, including unpaid wages, restrictions on leaving the households where they work, and excessive work hours with no rest days. 
Some may face psychological, physical, or sexual abuse and can get trapped in situations of forced labor, including by being trafficked. 
The report adds: 
Almost every country in the Middle East and North Africa region excludes domestic workers from the protection of labor laws, though, and subjects them to restrictive immigration rules, granting inordinate power and control to their employers under the “sponsorship” or kafala system. 

The State Of Freedom Of Religion in Maldives · Global Voices 
The Maldives ranks high on the list of governments that restrict religious freedom. 
Maldivian citizens have to be Muslim and cannot practice any religion other than Islam. 
Non-Muslim foreigners cannot vote, worship publicly, obtain citizenship, and hold public positions. 
Journalist Hilath Rasheed notes that Maldives perhaps will not be able to establish freedom of religion in the next 50 years until the mindset changes among the new generations of Maldivians. 

Young Romanian Builds First Car Entirely Made of LEGO Blocks · Global Voices 
20-year-old Raul Oaida from Romania has built what many dreamed of as children - the world’s first life-size LEGO car. 
The car, including the engine which actually runs, was built using 500,000 LEGO pieces. 
The vehicle can only achieve a speed of some 20 to 30 kilometers per hour, but - it runs on air! 
The young Romanian, a self-taught tech genius, paired up online with Australian entrepreneur Steve Sammartino, who procured the funds for this project on Twitter and got twice as many investors as needed in just days. 
The car was built in Romania and then transported to Australia, where the two unlikely partners met for a test drive. 
The engine of the car is also entirely made of LEGO. 
It has “four orbital engines and a total of 256 pistons.” 
According to the project website, the top speed isn’t very impressive, around 20 to 30 km. 
“We were scared of a Lego explosion so we drove it slowly,” the founders wrote. 
Steve and Oaida say that the project was possible only because of the internet. 
The two even met online, when Steve accepted Oaida’s Skype request. 
“I’m teaching him about business and he’s teaching me a bit about physics,” Steve told the press. 

Saudi Arabia Jails Palestinian Poet for 'Atheism and Long Hair' · Global Voices 
Saudi Artist Ahmed Mater shared this photograph on Twitter in support of Fayadh 
Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh is in a Saudi prison, allegedly for spreading atheism - and having long hair. 
The poet, raised in Saudi Arabia, was arrested five months ago, when a reader submitted a complaint against him saying that his poems contain atheist ideas. 
The accusations were not proven and he was released, only to be arrested again on the 1 January 2014. 
Fayadh's case is making the rounds in media and on social networks, with condemnations coming from Arab writers from across the region. 
Some of his friends wrote online that the real reason behind his arrest might be due to the video he filmed five months ago of Abha's religious police lashing a young man in public. 
Currently, the poet is still in jail with no evidence to the accusation or details of a coming trial. 
The following reactions clarify his case and express condemnations from Saudi writers, artists, and others standing in solidarity. 
@MohammdaLahamdl: Ashraf Fayadh's arrest is an announcement that we have reached what Europe faced in the Dark Ages. 
@WhiteTulip01: Do you think your faith is real when you think God can be harassed!! 
@MusabUK: Ashraf Fayadh is detained for atheism. 
Is atheism a charge? 
Is faith enforceable? 
That's if we assume the charge is true. 
@b_khlil: The fact that Ashraf Fayadh is now detained with criminals and killers just because he is a poet, tells us that justice is only a privilege to us, both as people and the regime. 
@turkiaz: The poet and artist Ashraf Fayadh is imprisoned for 15 charges, including atheism and long hair. 
Why? 
Because he filmed the religious police as they were lashing a young man in public. 
@AhmedMater: To our media: should we wait? 
Some professionalism would do. 
Ashraf Fayadh's case is going to be on the front pages of international media soon. 
@mohkheder: When the interrogator couldn't prove any accusations against Ashraf Fayadh, he started asking him why he smokes and why his hair is long 

Submit Cartoons on NSA Surveillance and Win $1000 · Global Voices 
Commander Keith Alexander on the bridge" Cartoon shared by DonkeyHotey (CC BY-SA 2.0) 
The Web We Want invites cartoonists, creatives and artists to join The Day We Fight Back on February 11, 2014 by creating an original cartoon about online surveillance and the right to privacy. 
The cartoons should help increase awareness about the NSA and demand accountability for mass digital surveillance in a way that makes people want to click and share. 
Deadline for submissions is February 8. 
Prizes: 
1st place: USD $1000 
2nd place: USD $500 
3rd Place: USD $250 
Rules: 
1. 
Anyone can participate. 
2. 
By submitting the work, the author agrees that it is licensed under a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution Share Alike license. 
There is no limit of submissions per author. 
3. 
The Author will provide a name or pseudonym to the submission. 
Further personal details will be requested for the winners – but their real name will remain private upon request of the author. 
4. 
The winners will be announced on February 11, 2014. 
The winner will be picked by members of the Web We Want Executive Committee. 
5. 
The award will be transferred to the winners within 30 days after the announcement. 
Submissions: 
1. 
By email: send your cartoon – high definition, .jpg, .pdf, .svg or .png to 
grants@webfoundation.org SUBJECT: Cartoon by February 8th. 
2. 
3. 
Adding your nationality and country of origin is optional but highly encouraged. 

Help Us Test Our Website: Win a T-Shirt · Global Voices 
We're redesigning the Global Voices website and would like your help figuring out if we're headed in the right direction. 
We want to hear from all readers, contributors, friends. 
Students from the University of Washington's Human Centered Design and Engineering (HCDE) program are using Global Voices as a case study for an extensive usability testing process in three separate groups. 
Each group has prepared a different survey. 
We will be asking some people to look at the current website and others to be looking at designs for a brand new site. 
If you would like to participate, please enter your name and email below. 
We are offering one lucky person the chance to win a Global Voices T-shirt! 
Thanks for your support! 
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[Video] Decoding Indian Headshakes in Less Than Two Minutes · Global Voices 
Many people are confused about the meaning of Indian "headshakes" and how to communicate using them. 
That may explain why a satirical video deciphering different types of Indian headshakes has gone viral. 
The 1:44 minute-long video, titled "Indian headshakes, what do they mean?", has attracted more than 1.2 million views since it was published in YouTube on February 16, 2014. 
And it has generated interesting reactions on social media platforms such as Reddit and Twitter: 
I have always loved the Indian headshake - but now I LOVE it even more. 
This is brilliant. http://t.co/eHxIyKqJjc — geeta pendse (@geetapendse) March 1, 2014 
Paul Mathew, the video's writer and director, told the BBC: "If we had known that this video was going to get such awesome viewership we would have shot it better." 

Srinagar-Leh Highway: An Adventurous Road Trip · Global Voices 
The 434-kilometer-long Srinagar-Leh Highway is a spectacular and often scary highway in the Kashmir Valley. 
This road, which is open for traffic from June to November, is generally muddy, gravely and non-existent at best. 
Minor Sights, a travel blog, posts details about the Srinagar-Leh road trip including the above video report. 

Wild elephant destroys residential houses in Dimapur. 
Image by Caisii Mao. 
Copyright Demotix (21/6/2012) 
Each year a few hundred people die in India due to wild elephant attacks as the animals are pushed into smaller spaces to live. 
Scientist Anand Kumar and researcher Ganesh Raghunathan of Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) have found an innovative way to deal with human-elephant conflict in Valparai, Tamil Nadu, India. 
They have built an elephant information network that can let people know when and where there is elephant movement, using local cable channels and mobile phones. 
A small team in Valparai tracks elephants during the day and feeds information on the whereabouts of elephants to a local TV channel. 
The information is displayed in the form of scrolling news on local cable TV channels every day after 4 p.m. along with a variety of early-warning systems to alert people to the presence of elephants. 
The foundation has a database of about 2,500 local residents and text messages are sent to those who are within a two-kilometre radius of elephant movement. 
They also have deployed a gadget in 22 places that flashes red LED lights to ward off elephants. 
One has to simply give a missed call to the number to trigger this visual signal. 
Blogger Deponti notes that: 
The co-existence and the conflict are two parts of the same coin. 
Renowned filmmaker Saravanakumar focuses on the coexistence measures with the help of locally adaptable and feasible technology in the Valparai plateau in this video: 
This indeed has inspired many people, such great measures are welcome in most vulnerable places, involving conflicts. 
Please keep up this good work, and may there be co existence in a journey rather than a destination. 

The World’s First Dengue Vaccine Could Be Available in Southeast Asia Next Year · Global Voices 
From the official website of the government of the Philippines. 
A dengue vaccine being tested in five Southeast Asian countries has yielded encouraging results, prompting governments and researchers in the region to announce that the world’s first dengue vaccine could be available next year. 
The vaccine was tested on 10,275 children (2 to 14 years old) in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines with an overall efficacy of 56.5 percent. 
There was also a 67 percent reduction in the risk of hospitalization due to dengue. 
Dengue is a tropical virus carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito with no known cure. According to the World Health Organization, about 40 percent of the world’s population is at risk from dengue. 
Up to 100 million dengue infections are reported each year; about 75 percent of the cases are found in the Asia Pacific, especially in Southeast Asia. 
First dengue vaccine out by July next year http://t.co/07iPGWtIx5 | Charles Buban #health #science pic.twitter.com/FlSRuxvo9H — Inquirer Group (@inquirerdotnet) July 19, 2014 
Unprecedented spike of #dengue cases in Malaysia and 1 death due to dengue in #Singapore. 
Dengue is a war everyone must fight! — Dengue.Info Asia (@DengueInfoAsia) July 31, 2014 
Many attributed this to the rapid urbanization in the region. 
Virologist Datuk Dr Lam Sai Kit from Malaysia described dengue as an urban disease: 
If you have a lot of people coming to stay in an urban area, then you have a population with a lot more people who are susceptible to infection. 
A lot of them can come down with dengue virus when they come into contact with it. 
Last week, the governments of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand announced the successful vaccine testing that can prevent four strains of dengue and haemorrhagic fever, which is a symptom of the disease. 
Interestingly, the news is presented as if these individual countries are spearheading the research on the dengue vaccine. 
It is drug company Sanofi Pasteur, in partnership with the five Southeast Asian countries, which has been conducting the study and testing of the Asian dengue vaccine in the past two decades. 
Their latest study is the basis of news reports announcing the final phase in testing the dengue vaccine. 
But the same study also mentioned the limitations of the vaccine. 
This was noted by writer Damian Garde: 
Despite the vaccine's broad efficacy, however, a closer look at the data paints a more nuanced picture. 
Dengue comes in four serotypes, and while Sanofi's treatment did well against variants 1, 3 and 4, it charted just 34.7% efficacy in serotype 2, missing statistical significance in one of Asia's most common forms of the disease. 
Furthermore, the researchers note, the vaccine's efficacy increased with patient age, with the youngest patients deriving the least benefit. 
The Asian Dengue Vaccine, if made available next year, will be a big boost in the global campaign to eradicate dengue by year 2020. 

These Photos Capture Life Beyond War and Tragedy in Palestine · Global Voices 
This image, simply captioned "Seen in Gaza" shows two Palestinian men in Gaza overlooking their city, which was destroyed by an Israeli attack. 
Ever since Brandon Stanton's hugely popular Humans of New York (HONY) page launched in November 2010, hundreds of pages from around the world have followed suit. 
The theme, which is fairly common to all the pages, is rather simple: a photographer or a group of photographers go around a neighborhood, village, city or country and ask people questions accompanied by a memorable portrait. 
The project has reached all corners of the planet, from Rio De Janeiro to Tehran, passing through most countries of Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. 
The projects' awareness-raising potential hasn't gone unnoticed, as one commenter on a recent HONY image said: "I look forward to these posts every day now. 
They restore my faith in humanity." 
This comment received over 7,000 likes. 
In the occupied Palestinian territories, awareness-raising is certainly needed. 
And that's what "Humans of Palestine" set out to do. 
When Global Voices Online asked Jafar Zuabi, one of Humans of Palestine's team members, to describe the idea behind Humans of Palestine, he explained: 
Humans of Palestine was created to reflect the dreams of Palestinian people and their daily lives. 
But since the offensive started, the page aims at restoring the humanity that is often stripped away when Palestinians are reduced to calculative deaths, forgettable names, and burned and mutilated bodies, rather than people who shared loved ones, stories, dreams and aspirations. 
"This is the first baby to be delivered by me. 
His name is Mazen. 
This is one of the greatest moments in my life." (link) 
The page, which boasts over 22,000 followers on Facebook and 7,500 on Twitter, stands out from other HONY-type pages in its coverage of both Palestinians in Palestine as well as those in the diaspora, both refugees and emigrants. 
Indeed, the Humans of Palestine team covers Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, Palestinian refugee camps across the Arab world and the Palestinian diaspora. 
How does it work? 
Jafar replied: 
We at Humans of Palestine work as a team of five: The founder of the page, Anas Hamra from Gaza; We'am, Haneen and myself from Ramallah; and Niraz from the Yarmouk Refugee Camp in Syria. 
We ended our conversation with a touch of optimism: 
We think we are making a difference. 
Our message is reaching the Arab and the western countries more and more every day. 
Here are a few of the photographs shared on the page: 
"Noor, is a passionate young girl from Gaza, she's always wanted to start her own Palestinian English channel in Gaza, but she didn't know that the first news to report would be a "War" on Gaza! 
Noor stands where Israeli military destroyed a whole neighborhood called Shujaiya and she is making a report about it."(link) 
"I was sitting opposite Naji Al-Ali's (Palestinian cartoonist) grave, thinking of all the great people Israel had wiped off the map, and how they all stay in our lives. 
When I think of those people, I don't think of them as 'dead'. 
So what's death after all? 
It is as Ghassan Kanafani deliberately put it: "A man is, at the end of the day, a cause." 
When I think of martyrs, I don't think of them as numbers. 
They are people with collective memories, families, dreams- which all was simply taken away from them. 
The idea brings my defenses down. 
For those who gave their lives ardently, for those whose dreams were brutally taken away, all the tears of the world will not bring your pure souls back. 
I salute you." (link) 
- How would you describe yourself?- I am not as sneaky and demanding as most people would think (link) 

Georgia's Five-Year-Old Prince Prepares to Reign · Global Voices 
Heir to the Royal Throne of Georgia, HRH Crown Prince Giorgi Bagration Bagrationi Mukhranbatonishvili (left) and his father, Head of the Royal House of Georgia, HRH Prince Davit Bagration-Mukhranbatoni, wearing traditional Georgian chokhas. 
(Photo: The Royal House of Georgia) 
The following is a partner post from EurasiaNet.org written by Tamar Kikacheishvili. 
Republished with permission. 
Like many doting parents, five-year-old Giorgi’s post cute pictures of him on Facebook: blowing out candles on a birthday cake, or wearing red plastic sunglasses behind the wheel of a car, pretending to drive. 
But the comments below the pictures belie that humble appearance. 
“Long live the king!” many write. 
“Even his eyebrows look like Queen Tamar’s,” wrote one fan, referring to the queen who reigned in the 12th and 13thcenturies and is, in fact, Giorgi’s distant ancestor. 
Georgia aspires to be part of Europe, and for its government that means European Union-style democracy. 
But a minority of Georgians want their country to follow an older European tradition by restoring their country’s millennium-old monarchy. 
And their hopes are riding on the little shoulders of Giorgi – or, as his Facebook page identifies him, Heir to the Royal Throne of Georgia, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Giorgi Bagration Bagrationi Mukhranbatonishvili. 
Prince Giorgi largely owes his standing to the leader of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II, who in 2007 called for Georgia to adopt a constitutional monarchy. At that time, though, there was a stumbling block: there was no clear heir. 
“A candidate to the crown should be selected among representatives of the royal dynasty, and he should be suitably raised to be king from childhood,” Ilia said at the time. 
The Bagrationi dynasty had ruled Georgia from the 10th century until the early 19th century, when Russia colonized Georgia and abolished the monarchy. 
The Bagrationis were duly absorbed into the Russian aristocracy. 
Most dispersed to Europe after the Russian Revolution and the establishment of the Soviet Union, but some began to trickle back after Georgia regained independence in 1991, and the restoration of the monarchy became imaginable, if not yet plausible. 
Prince Nugzar Bagrationi Gruzinski is the son of one of the few Bagrationis to have remained in Georgia, a dissident poet, and is the direct descendent of the last king of Georgia. 
But Prince Nugzar’s daughter, Anna, was already married – to someone outside the Bagrationi line – and had two daughters. 
As it happened, though, she divorced in 2007, and Ilia set her up with a Spanish-born distant cousin, Davit Bagrationi-Mukhraneli. 
The couple married in 2009 at a ceremony in Tbilisi’s Holy Trinity Cathedral, attended by 3,000 guests, but the marriage was short-lived; the couple divorced in 2013. 
By that time, however, they had given birth to Giorgi. 
He was born in 2011 and baptized by the patriarch himself at the Cathedral of Svetitskhoveli in Mtskheta, the traditional site for Georgian kings to be crowned. 
Giorgi’s life is little documented outside of the Facebook page of the royal family. 
After the divorce, Giorgi lives with his mother in an apartment in Tbilisi. But his father remains active in his upbringing; one favorite father-and-son activity is watching auto races at the track in Rustavi, a city just east of Tbilisi, Bagrationi said. 
Some of Giorgi’s Facebook photos do evoke his unique upbringing. 
He is frequently wearing a traditional Georgian chokha, and is often photographed with the patriarch. 
The prince already speaks Georgian, Russian, and Spanish, and while details about his future education are still being discussed by family members, it will focus on subjects befitting a king like politics and military studies, Bagrationi said. 
He will soon start studying khridoli, a traditional Georgian martial art that has been experiencing a revival in the country. 
“It develops various skills like concentration, balance, and patience,” Bagrationi said. 
While the prospects for the restoration of the monarchy are dim, it remains publicly popular, at least in theory. 
In July 2015, the Tbilisi research center Doctrina conducted a poll: of the 560 Georgians surveyed, about 30 percent favored the restoration of the monarchy. 
In practice, though, the concept of a restoration has failed to get much traction. 
The political party that advocates for the return of the monarchy, Royal Crown, failed to make the ballot in last year’s parliamentary elections. 
The party is older than the prince, but its leader, Vazha Abashidze, said he supports Giorgi’s claim to the throne. 
“He is a child, but I can see that he is an amazing child who is fearless and open-minded, and people will love him,” Abashidze told EurasiaNet. “Our guardian now is the patriarch of Georgia, but naturally he takes care more about Orthodox Christians. 
The king will love everyone regardless of their religion.” 
Abashidze noted that no one predicted the collapse of the Soviet Union, so another dramatic twist in the country’s fate could happen faster than Georgians expect. 
“This is the will of the God and we don’t know when will it happen, but it will definitely happen,” he said. 
“We need to be ready for the right moment, and that’s why we need to have a well-prepared heir to the throne.” 

Indian Techies Work to Detect Fake WhatsApp and Facebook Messages · Global Voices 
Photo by Subhashish Panigrahi via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) 
Two Indian coders are building a website that helps detect fake messages shared widely on WhatsApp and Facebook. 
Known as check4spam.com, the site relies on both the research and investigation by the check4spam team along with volunteer users. 
The group hopes to expand the portal's capabilities to provide certain services through technical tools. 
They describe the project as follows: 
1. 
2. 
(SPAM) Top 10 Corrupt Political Parties in The World 2017 by BBC https://t.co/wb2yJxHYpn pic.twitter.com/hlisxbmPTA — check4spam (@check4spam) March 22, 2017 
India is seeing a rapid increase in Internet use, even among the elderly. 
Many of the new users do not yet know how to differentiate between authentic sources and fake or malicious ones. 
And there are threats of click bait, hoaxes or Trojan horse-style software built to steal information from the user’s device. 
Bal Krishn Birla and Shammas Oliyath who created the website are two seasoned techies based in the Indian city of Bengaluru. 
With a vision of "unconditional Service for humanity" and a mission to "make life easy for the common man and life trouble for the spammers," they have embarked on to educate people in India that fall victim to fake messages on social media, and help circulate those messages. 
A typical certification. Image via Check4Spam Website. 
They have set up a WhatsApp number in August 2016 for people to send in the messages for fact-checks. 
According to Shammas, they get as many as 100 messages a day for verification. 
Shammas reads the messages during his hour-long lunch break and starts researching the leads. 
Check4Spam is a self-funded project. It gets some revenue from ads on the site which goes into its operation costs, including promotional posts on Facebook. 
#Check4Spam 
1 Add +9035067726 on your phone. 
2. 
Copy the content you doubt. 
2 WhatsApp them. 
They'll tell you if it is fake or not. 
RT pic.twitter.com/tJHj0we7uI — VenuMaun (@VenuSpeak) March 28, 2017 
The check4spam.com currently supports messages that are text-only, image-only, and contains both text and image. 
They are also crowdsourcing spam message detection by asking people to report the spam messages that the users find out themselves. Currently the detected messages are categorized under internet rumours, accidents, jobs, medical, missing, government initiatives, and promotions. 
The site gets half a million page views a month. 

A Software Engineer's Blog Takes Readers on Bike Rides Through Japan's Backroads · Global Voices 
"Heading Up — Manseki and Jamie in front of a pretty house." Map & image data — nearby photos. 
From "Social Ride to the Quaint Mountain Village of Miyama, With a Twist." 
If you're interested in cycling and catching a glimpse of rural Japan that most Japanese people never even get to see, author and technologist Jeffrey Friedl has the blog for you. 
Based in Kyoto, Japan, Friedl regular heads out on "century rides" of 100 miles or more and documents the journey. 
Kyoto is bordered on three sides by forested mountain ranges and boasts plenty of farmland, so this means his rides pass through some truly spectacular scenery. 
For example, in a blog post from the end of April, Friedl headed southeast from the Kyoto city center toward the tea-growing areas in the hills between Kyoto and Nara: 
I had a nice ride through the mountains of Uji and Wazuka (Japan, near Kyoto/Nara) the other day. 
Both Uji (宇治) and Wazuka (和 束) have been famous for their tea for centuries, and have tea fields tucked away in the most seemingly-unlikely nooks and crannies of their mountains. 
Working The Tea Fields high up in Wazuka, Japan (和束). 
Photo by Jeffrey Friedl. 
Map & image data — nearby photos. 
From blog post "Century of Wazuka Climbs, Part 1." 
In addition to cycling, Friedl's blog offers an in-depth look at computer science, photography, effective DIY web developing and includes a long write-up on digital image color spaces, the auto-focus test chart that he developed, and a detailed Analysis of Lightroom JPEG Export Quality Settings. 
Perhaps as a result of his technical background, Friedl's cycling blog posts are meticulously categorized and cross-referenced, making it easy to see where photos were taken, with links to other photos of the same location, or taken nearby. 
Friedl also maps out his routes, including on Strava, a social network network for athletes where he documents his rides. 
"Wakazuka route map." Screenshot used with permission. 
From the blog post From blog post "Century of Wazuka Climbs, Part 1." 
In his quest to climb as many hills as possible, and to get away from more crowded highways, Friedl's century rides frequently follow quieter roads to wherever his destination is. 
In this post from October 2016, Friedl rides to the rural village of Miyama, northeast of Kyoto, deep in the mountains. 
"Three Ladies front to back: Kumiko, Stephanie, Alicia taken while moving at 24 kph (15 mph)." Photo by Jeffrey Friedl. 
"Social Ride to the Quaint Mountain Village of Miyama, With a Twist." 
"Flat Valley." Photo by Jeffrey Friedl. 
From "Social Ride to the Quaint Mountain Village of Miyama, With a Twist." 
Friedl's trips typically include photos of snacks, meals and other refueling stops along the way. 
Here is a snack at a countryside coffee shop: 
"Snack - hotcake, ice cream, and coffee at the new and wonderful Joey's Bar (a small cafe catering to motorcyclists, but at which all are welcome)." 
Photo by Jeffrey Friedl. 
From "Social Ride to the Quaint Mountain Village of Miyama, With a Twist." 
An interactive map of Friedl's bicycle trips around Japan can be found here: 
Map of Jeffrey Friedl’s blog photos 
Friedl's map allows you to search by location in Japan. 
For example, besides the map of photos taken near Kyoto (above), here are some photos Friedl has taken near Obama, on the Japan Sea Coast about 100 kilometers north, as the crow flies, of Kyoto. 
You can follow Jeffrey Friedl on his blog. 
It hosts a massive archive of posts, so its table of contents (TOC) is a good place to start exploring. 

How a 1970s Polish TV Cartoon Can Help Promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education Today · Global Voices 
How can Science, Technology, Engineering and Math or STEM subjects become more appealing to children? 
A Polish TV cartoon series from the 1970s proved that STEM subjects can be both entertaining and popular at the same time. 
Pomysłowy Dobromir is a popular series of animated cartoons produced in Poland from 1973 to 1975 by Roman Huszczo and Adam Słodowy. 
The title is a loose translation for “Inventive Dobromir”. 
The word pomysłowy can also mean clever or ingenious, while the name Dobromir comes from the root “dobro” which means “good” in all Slavic languages. 
The main character is Dobromir, a bright kid who thinks of solutions to various everyday problems on his grandfather's farm. 
After analyzing a problem, he makes models and prototypes of mechanical devices. 
The process is presented in an entertaining animation with catchy sound effects. But more importantly, it explains the basic principles and functions of the mechanical devices made by Dobromir. 
The series has 20 episodes promoting the scientific approach among children. 
Each episode combines concepts and practical applications related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, which reflects the interdisciplinary approach of the current STEM curriculum. 
The screenwriter of the series was Adam Słodowy, an inventor and TV personality who for decades hosted the “Do-it-Yourself” show on Polish national TV. 
Some of the devices featured on the series included water pumps, harvesters, and timepieces. 
Check out how Dobromir was able to build these devices using simple tools by watching the cartoons below: 
Poland did not have much opportunity for cultural export as a country situated deep behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War era. 
However, its cartoon industry managed to transcend both the national and the Soviet bloc borders, and became popular all over Central and Eastern Europe, including the non-aligned Yugoslavia. 
Many Polish cartoons, including Dobromir, have little or no talking among the main characters, which adds to their universal appeal even decades after their original broadcast. 
Most of them are available online on both official Youtube channels and also through the versions posted by enthusiastic fans. 

He Won a Trip to Space, but Can’t Move Freely on Earth · Global Voices 
British-Muslim mental health activist Hussain Manawer won a trip aboard a commercial spacecraft. 
He will orbit above the planet next year. But he gets stopped by security all the time when he takes international flights. 
Credit: Hussain Manawer 
This story by Andrea Crossan originally appeared on PRI.org on March 23, 2017. It is republished here as part of a partnership between PRI and Global Voices. 
Hussain Manawer thinks he is jinxed he gets stopped so often. He has been questioned at airports from LA to Macedonia, but jokes he doesn’t get stopped anymore because they all know him now. 
“I’m just trying to figure out the best way in order to demolish this stigma that all Muslim people are terrorists,” he says. 
Manawer is of Pakistani descent but grew up in Essex, England. 
And after a poem he wrote won him a space flight, he received widespread attention when during a speech in Thailand he said, “My name is Hussain Manawer, and I am not a terrorist.” 
Manawer says he said it in response to the many racial profiling incidences he has experienced. 
“I gave up,” he says, when asked if he’s kept track of all the times he’s been detained and questioned. 
“It is absolutely insane the amount of times I’ve been stopped.” 
The contest to win space travel was held by Kruger Cowne’s Rising Star program for 18 to 30-year-olds. 
Thirty thousand participants from more than 90 countries competed for a spot on an XCOR Aerospace Lynx commercial spacecraft, due to lift off in 2018. 
The winning entry was a poem entitled “My name is Hussain.” 
It is a three-minute spoken word piece that starts off as a suicide letter from a boy to his mother, but it's later revealed the mother is actually Mother Nature. 
Here's Manawer performing it in front of the judges and a live audience: 
“That is what I do, I’m a poet. 
I write poetry for the betterment of human life, for social and emotional learning. 
That’s where space came into it. 
I only wanted to enter this competition to be taken more seriously with my work," says Manawer. 
Since winning the contest, Manawer, 26, has been giving talks to raise awareness on the subject. 
He became passionate about the issue after a friend was diagnosed with depression, but felt too uncomfortable disclosing it to his family. 
Manawer now speaks out regularly about mental health and hopes his trip to space will allow him more opportunities to bring it up. 
“I’m very passionate about mental health. 
I believe we are in a beautiful time, growing up in this day and age, however I do think we are equally connected and disconnected simultaneously. 
And what I mean by that is that it’s easier to connect with someone across the world than across the room.” 
Manawer says he never dreamed of going to space, and while he’s grateful for the opportunity he’s still not sure if space travel is for him. 
“You know what? 
If am being honest I don’t actually want to go ... though I am obviously going to go forward with it.” 

We're Living Longer, But Not Everyone Is Living Healthier · Global Voices 
Infographic about changes in bad health that mya be expected in South America, used with permission. 
Medigo, a health-specialized platform that connects patients and physicians all over the world, has completed a comparative global study on life expectancy. 
On average, human beings live longer today than ever before. 
Nearly every country on the planet has seen an increase in life expectancy since the beginning of the 21st century, with the global average reaching 71.4 years in 2015. 
But there are huge variations in life expectancy between and within nations, as well. 
In Europe and North America, the average is 73 years, in Oceania it is 71, in Latin America is 70 years, in Asia is 61 years, and in Africa it is just 55 years. 
Medigo, however, decided to take its analysis a step further and ask the question: 
The World Health Organization confirms that we are living longer, but are we living healthier? 
Healthy Life Expectancy, or HALE, is what the World Health Organization uses to measure how many years an individual can expect to live while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Influenced by factors like quality of healthcare, hygiene, wars, and more, HALE still fails to take into account violent deaths. 
This rating has registered improvements in recent years. 
Life expectancy increased by five years between 2000 and 2015, the fastest increase since the 1960s. 
Those gains reverse declines during the 1990s, when life expectancy fell in Africa because of the AIDS epidemic and in Eastern Europe following the collapse of the Soviet Union. 
Using infographics, Medigo offers an alternative measurement for global health that it calls “Bad Health Years,” showing changes worldwide since 2000. 
Infographics about changes during bad health years to be expected in the world, used with permission. 
In a brief conversation with Global Voices, Giulia Gutterer, online marketing manager at Medigo, explained the difference between the traditional measurement by WHO and the "Bad Health" measurement they propose: 
Basically we take the total life expectancy, which is just how much we are expected to live and is determined at birth, and we deducted the healthy-life-expectancy years from the actual life expectancy. 
After doing this, we see the average amount of years someone can expect to live in bad health: “Bad Health Years.” 
Bad Health Years are the years you live with diseases and disabilities. 
You can find all Medigo's infographics on its website. 

Three Decades and Several Films Later, a Creative Translation of ‘Alien’ Endures in the Balkans · Global Voices 
Banner for the upcoming "Alien" film in Macedonian, reading "The Eighth Passenger: Covenant. 
In cinemas starting May 18. 
Tickets on sale." 
The announcement that another installment of the "Alien" franchise will soon hit theaters has reignited a longstanding linguistic debate among science fiction and movie fans in Western Balkans. 
When the first movie in the series appeared in 1979, rather than using a word that means "stranger" or "extraterrestrial" in the local languages, the distributors in Yugoslavia, Hungary and Poland translated the title as "The Eighth Passenger," referring to the fact that the titular alien was a stowaway on the spaceship populated by seven crew members. 
Scan of the original 1979 Yugoslav movie poster containing both the Serb-Croatian translation and the original English title, with the remark "movie of the year." 
Author anonymous. 
So "Alien" became "Osmi putnik" in Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian, "Osmi potnik" in Slovenian, and "Osmiot patnik" in Macedonian. 
This wasn't true in all the countries of the region, however. 
Transliteration or local variations of the word "alien" were used in Albanian, Bulgarian, Czech, Slovak and all languages of the former USSR. 
And the Polish title, "Obcy – ósmy pasażer Nostromo," used a combination of both approaches, in addition to adding the name of the spaceship at the end, resulting in the rather lengthy "Alien – The Eighth Passenger of Nostromo." 
The Hungarian title, "A nyolcadik utas: a Halál," is also a kind of spoiler, meaning "The Eighth Passenger: Death." 
Across the former Yugoslavia, "The Eighth Passenger" stuck and was used in all the sequels that followed over the next 30 years, including the upcoming "Alien: Covenant." 
Periodically, people from the region have returned to the controversy of the translation, either considering it a very creative interpretation or dismissing it as improper or obsolete. 
This is reflected in the definition found at Vukajlija, an online dictionary of Serbian slang. 
The entry for "Osmi putnik" contains both praise and the question of "how come they didn't count the cat?" 
(In addition to the seven crew members, there was also a cat on board the spaceship, which apparently wasn't included in the count if the alien was the "eighth passenger.") 
In the sea of bad translations and interpretations of the titles of foreign films to Serbian, The Eighth Passenger is a rare case of good movie title. #Alien 
Again, they make me angry when they say that the #Alien was the "eighth passenger" - Hello! 
There were 6 humanoids, one android, the cat, and then the alien. 
Then there's Alien or Osmi Putnik which literally translates to "The Eighth Passenger". 
What was the sequel translated as? 
More Passengers? — Milos Markicevic (@mmarkicevic) May 10, 2017 
Fans in Macedonia have shared their mixed feelings about the title's translation: 
I cringe a lot when they write the Eighth Passenger instead of Alien on the cinema tickets. 
A lot! 
I don't care what anyone else thinks, the Eighth Passenger is a genius title for the film, 50 times better than the original. 
The film had an influence on Yugoslav pop culture beyond the sphere of science fiction. 
"Osmi putnik" was the name of one of the top heavy metal bands of the former federation, founded in 1985 in Split, Croatia. 
The band's popularity might had been a factor in the survival and the brand recognition of the translation. 
One of their best-known songs is "Glasno, glasnije" (Make it loud! 
Make it louder!). 
Even political debates use references to the movie. 
One Macedonian Twitter user quoted law professor and former politician Ljubomir Frčkoski who used "The Eighth Passenger" in a derogatory manner when discussing the destructive role of the country's outgoing ruling party in the period right after the December 2016 elections: 
"To include VMRO in the government would be as if having the Eighth Passenger on your ship. 
As if having an alien on your ship" - Frchko. 

‘Untranslatable’ Blog Shines a Light on the Unique Vocabulary of Small Languages · Global Voices 
Photo by Andy Simmons and used under a CC BY-ND 2.0 license. 
A blog called Untranslatable is setting out to provide language lovers with a selection of words from around the world that are difficult or impossible to translate. 
These words exist in every language: they express situations or feelings, often complex or very specific. 
Some of these untranslatable words are already well-known by now (like the famous Portuguese saudade), and others are deeply rooted in a particular culture (for example, the Spanish sobremesa). 
But they all share the stubbornness with which they resist all attempts at simple translations. 
One word or expression will not do, so a full explanation and sometimes some context are necessary to grasp the depth of the notion expressed in that one word. 
These unique words have long been collected in lists online. 
But while such lists often stop at Japanese, German, French, Portuguese or Finnish, Untranslatable's creator and linguist Steven Bird decided to focus on small languages. 
For example, the blog shares words in the Mwotlap language from Vanuatu like: 
"vakasteglok" - Take care of your own parents, in recognition of all the care they've given you in your younger years. 
And words in Hunsrik language spoken in parts of Brazil such as: 
"kwadi" - The laziness one feels after warming oneself in the sun on cold days. 
In Bird's own words from the blog's About page: 
They shed light on other cultures, reveal different patterns of thought, and spark our curiosity. 
Sometimes, they influence how we analyze and classify the world around us the linguists contributing to this site want to share more of these 'untranslatable' words, and in the process, show why these small languages are distinctive, valuable, and powerful. 
Speakers of the "treasure languages" cherished by Untranslatable are invited to submit their favourite word here. 

The Pedicab Project Is Giving Nepal's Rickshaws a Modern Update · Global Voices 
Pedicab Project Team with the pedicab riders. 
Image from Michael Linke's Facebook page. 
Among the sea of traditional rickshaws on the streets of Lumbini, the southern Nepalese birthplace of Lord Buddha, the Pedicab Project's modern version of the passenger cart is sure to catch your eye. 
Sleek, futuristic and not at all rickety, these pedicabs are built by Catapult Design of Denver, USA, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided US$350,000 for the design and production of 60 prototypes. 
Launched in April, 28 pedicabs are currently being trialed in Lumbini and another 28 in Kathmandu. 
After successful completion of the pilot phase, the design for mass production will be finalized based on the feedback from both customers and drivers. 
Our pedicab design finally hits the streets of #Kathmandu and Lumbini! 
Congrats to #ADB, @NoelGaelWilson, and the local design team! #Nepal pic.twitter.com/mTwHPOgCAT — Catapult_Design (@Catapult_Design) May 3, 2017 
Global Voices Nepal author Sanjib Chaudhary spoke with Bradley Schroeder, project manager for the Pedicab Project, about these modernized rickshaws and how they might change the way people look at rickshaws in Nepal. 
Here are the excerpts of the interview. 
Global Voices (GV): What was the inspiration to pursue this project? 
Bradley Schroeder (BS): Pedicabs (also known as cycle rickshaws) provide an essential mobility service for much of South Asia. 
The industry to produce and manage cycle rickshaws likewise is also a major employment and income source for the poorest of the poor. 
The zero-emission and zero-noise vehicles provide numerous benefits, especially when offsetting motorized trips. 
GV: Can you tell us how the pedicabs work? 
How are they different from normal rickshaws? 
BS: The pedicabs are a modernized version of the traditional cycle rickshaw. 
The traditional cycle rickshaws are antiquated and not utilizing the best technology available; mostly in terms of the appearance, material (weight) and gearing. 
The project focused on a more modern design with better quality components. 
GV: You have launched the first batch of pedicabs in Lumbini. 
What is the initial feedback from passengers and tourists? 
BS: Initial feedback is good. 
The electrical assist version is definitely more popular than the pedal only. 
Both the operators (wallahs) and the tourist prefer it. 
There are some minor things Catapult will suggest changing in future pedicabs. 
It's important to note that these were prototypes so there are some teething problems but all in all, it's a solid vehicle. 
I think the best phrase is, "the wheels didn't fall off". 
GV: How does this work? 
Are you giving away the pedicabs for free? 
How did you choose the riders who got the pedicabs? 
BS: Again these were prototype vehicles so they were given to the operators (wallahs). 
It would not be ethical to charge for a 'yet unproven vehicle'. 
Future pedicab distribution will most likely be through a more sustainable model such as recapitalization or financing. 
GV: Isn’t this project too expensive? 
You’ve been given US$ 350,000 to design 60 pedicabs, whereas you get similar battery-powered rickshaws at a nominal price in the market. 
Can you share with us the cost-benefit analysis of the project? 
BS: Catapult Design has done extensive research on what is available in the current market and none suited the needs of the South Asia market. 
When you speak about the cost of the vehicle you cannot just divide $ 350,000 by 60; you need to account for the design, evaluation, manufacturing at a low number of units, etc. 
The current price of the pedicab, if in full production, would be competitive to the cost of a current rickshaw, although a bit higher (est. at 10% depending on the country). 
Michael Linke posing with a pedicab. 
Image from Michael Linke's Facebook page. 
GV: What are your future plans? 
Where next do you want to take these pedicabs? 
BS: The final stage of the project is the evaluation. 
Suggestions will then be made and the design modified if necessary. 
The design of the pedicab is open-source (as per a requirement by ADB) so any manufacturer can then use it. 
The Southeast Asian market is huge so if the design proves itself it should be replicated and market forces will drive it from there. 
If the project succeeds, perhaps we will see hundreds of new, modern pedicabs operating in countries like Bangladesh and the Philippines in the near future. 

In Japan, Plastic Food Models Aren't Just for Restaurants Anymore · Global Voices 
Plastic food samples (食品サンプル) outside of a typical restaurant in Japan. 
Image by Flickr user sayot. 
Image license: Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) 
In Japan, plastic models of food are common outside of just about every eatery. 
In order to provide potential customers with information about exactly what's on the menu, shokuhin sanpuru (食品サンプル, "food samples"), or highly detailed replicas of every dish served in the restaurant, are displayed near the entrance. 
Customers peruse the food samples, and then decide to enter the shop or keep looking for someplace to eat. 
There is an entire industry devoted to creating these food samples. 
The Tokyo neighborhood of Kappabashi is home to a cluster of these small businesses that make plastic food samples, which German filmmaker Wim Wenders documented in his movie Tokyo-Ga more than 20 years ago. 
While plastic food samples are so common in Japan as to be unnoticeable to most Japanese people, there is a new trend in Japan to turn them into eye-catching cellphone accessories and other knick-knacks. 
Writing on Naver Matome, blogger itinii has collected a variety of social media links with photos of this twist on shokuhin sanpuru. 
Now on sale: new smartphone straps based on food samples used at Kichijoji Tokyu department store. 
Food samples have been turned into a variety of kitschy collectibles including, in this case, refrigerator magnets: 
For a new display at Tokyo Station, here are some shokuhin sample fridge magnets. 
The food sample novelty boom is becoming increasingly more elaborate. 
In this case, a kaisen-don (a popular seafood rice bowl) has been transformed into a smartphone stand. 
We've found a good use for a triangular serving dish (lol) as a smartphone stand. 
Once again, we made this for the Tokyo Station exhibition. 
And here, it's an apple that holds up your smartphone: 
Designed to look like an apple with a notch cut out for a smaphone, this is a striking design. 
This is just the beginning of an increasing descent into whimsy. 
Some smartphone stand and case designers allow you to create your own work of art, in this case, by using ikura, or salmon roe that is a popular topping served with white rice. 
One Twitter user doubts: 
Is there anyone out there who is going to say, "Wow, cool, I can customize my smartphone case with salmon roe?" 
I think I'll be the only one. 
The fake food accessory boom also can take perhaps less appetizing forms, including gag items to startle coworkers and family members. 
Our newest smartphone stand comes in the form of melting ice cream. 
We also have rice ball (onigiri) earrings and a dried salmon smartphone strap. 
To see more quirky uses of fake food, check out itinii's Naver Matome blog post, or follow the Twitter hashtag #食品サンプル#ストラップ. 
And to learn more about the original trend that started it all, this video provides a glimpse of Kappabashi in Tokyo, a district devoted to supplying the restaurant industry, including with shokuhin sanpuru. 
As well as this video, which gives an overview of how Japanese food samples are actually made. 

The Unusual, Sometimes Mysterious Bookmarks Found in Used Books in Japan · Global Voices 
A used bookstore in Fukui, Japan. 
Photo by Nevin Thompson. 
Have you ever bought a book at a secondhand bookstore and found something unexpected left inside that the previous owner used as bookmark? 
If you have, you are not alone. 
Unusual bookmarks left in used books seems to be a global phenomenon, and a blog post written by someone with the Naver Matomer username of "Outstanding Individual Talent In 28 Seconds" (28秒に一人の逸材さん) catalogs what some of these bookmarks look like in Japan. 
Many of the bookmarks, before being shared on Twitter as photographs, were found in titles purchased at Book Off, a nationwide chain of used bookstores in Japan. 
I finished reading Otsuichi's book "Summer, Fireworks, and My Dead Body", a book I finally found in Book Off, on the train ride home. 
The author described some very graphic things indifferently, and the ending made me gape out of goriness, but the scariest thing was the doodle that was between the last pages. 
Other bookmarks showcased in the Naver Matome blog post are cryptic and sometimes unsettling. 
There was a paper in my second-hand book with a mysterious code on it... 
I'm seriously scared. 
(The doodle features cryptic, nonsensical Japanese) Tweet: I bought a book and can feel the madness contained within. 
Some are more whimsical: 
There was a small portrait picture in my second-hand book... 
While others are very creative: 
This handmade (a cutout of a supermarket ad) bookmark in my second-hand book is so cool. 
There are bookmarks that seem to somehow match the book they were found in: 
Holy crap, this copy of Dogra Magra I bought at Book Off has something in it. 
There's a Hello Kitty (Sanrio) bookmark. 
And on the bookmark are hard-to-read characters with little pronunciation guides written next to them. 
As someone who reads the (surrealist detective novels) of Yumeno Kyusaku, I cannot hide my excitement! 
Used books are awesome! 
Sometimes there are unexpected rewards to be found at Book Off: 
So I bought a book at Book Off for 108 yen (about US$1) and there was 4,000 yen (about US$40) inside it. 
But why was it both the old and the new 1,000-yen bills? 
Whatever, I came out ahead. 
Or even hints at the life of the previous owner of the book. 
This was in some manga I bought at Book Off. 
The photos were taken on March 19, 1995. 
More odd bookmarks can be found in the Naver Matome blog post. 

Vietnamese Activist Trần Thị Nga Sentenced to 9 Years for 'Propaganda' · Global Voices 
A team of police entered Trần Thị Nga’s home to arrest her in January. 
(Photo: Ba Sam) This article by Don Le is from Loa, a news website and online radio project of Viet Tan that broadcasts stories about Vietnam. 
It is republished by Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement. 
Vietnamese authorities have sentenced yet another social activist to a lengthy prison term, continuing a spate of heavy-handed punishments against dissent. 
In a one-day trial on Tuesday, 25 July 2017, the People’s Court in Hà Nam province sentenced Trần Thị Nga to nine years in prison and five years of house arrest for “conducting propaganda against the State.” 
"This is an unfair verdict. Nga is not guilty as stated by the court," Nga’s lawyer Hà Huy Sơn told Reuters. 
International rights organizations have criticized Hà Nội for her arrest. 
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch released a statement prior to her sentencing. 
The Vietnamese government consistently goes to extremes to silence its critics, targeting activists like Trần Thị Nga with bogus charges that carry a long prison sentence, and subjecting their families to harassment and abuse. 
Witnesses said hundreds of police surrounded the courthouse to prevent Nga’s supporters from gathering outside the courthouse. 
A flycam video showed security police blocking off the surrounding streets. 
Nga’s husband and two young sons were prevented from entering the courthouse and forced to wait outside. 
Her husband, Phan Văn Phong, in a post on Facebook wrote: The court did not receive us, so we wandered around the streets. 
We were tired out so the two boys looked for some shade to sit down and rest momentarily. 
Trần Thị Nga’s husband and two sons were prevented from entering the courthouse to attend her trial. 
Despite being barred from what was supposed to be a public trial, dozens of activists sat across the courthouse to protest the unfair processes and called for Nga’s release. 
“Thuý Nga is innocent,” they declared on signs. 
Videos showed policemen in plainclothes confronting the peaceful protesters, pulling and tearing the signs from Nga’s supporters. 
Her sentence marks a worrying trend for activists for free expression. 
In June 2017, prominent blogger Nguyễn Ngọc Như Quỳnh, who wrote under the pen name “Mother Mushroom,” was sentenced to ten years in prison under the same charges. In a separate incident, local authorities arrested a social activist in Nghệ An province the evening before Nga’s trial and charged him with “attempting to overthrow the state.” 
Activists hold a sit-in protest outside the Hà Nam People's Court. (Photo: Facebook/Nguyễn Thuý Hạnh 

The Kyrgyz “Dancing Kelin” Protests Early Marriage By Calling Attention to the Harsh Realities of Rural Brides · Global Voices 
Instagrammer Saykal Jumalieva, 21, rocks out to 'Stayin' Alive' outside a traditional Kyrgyz yurt, calling attention to the plight of 'kelins' or 'brides' in Kyrgyzstan. 
Photo rights via Wikipedia Commons, 2006. 
A video of a Kyrgyz rural bride dancing to "Stayin' Alive," a classic Western disco song by the Bee Gees, goes viral in Central Asia with nearly 83,000 views to date and thousands of shares on other social media platforms, bringing media attention to the problem of early marriage and the harsh reality of rural brides' lives in this former Soviet republic. 
“Life in the village is round-the-clock work. 
Brides finish one chore and start another. 
They work 24/7." 
Early marriage, although outlawed, is a common problem within Central Asian republics where underage girls, especially in rural areas, are forced to enter arranged marriages. 
Kyrgyz and Kazakh girls additionally suffer from bride kidnapping. 
Around 12% of brides in Kyrgyzstan are married before their 18th birthday, and annually nearly 12,000 Kyrgyz girls are kidnapped into forced marriages. 
Most of the newly-weds in this region live with the husband’s parents and the majority of the housework, ranging from cleaning to cooking for the whole family and preparing beds, falls on the shoulders of the new bride. 
Society expects brides to serve their husbands' families. 
In doing so, they lose their freedom of movement, the chance to study, and in most cases, the right to work outside the home. 
Kelins are vulnerable to domestic physical abuse and mothers-in-law especially perpetuate psychological violence against them. 
Despite of state-funded national programs and internationally-funded civil society initiatives, attention to the issue has not been effective enough to make a lasting impact on women's lives. 
Innovative approaches like this Kyrgyz qizi's (Kyrgyz: girl) Instagram dance are far more effective in raising awareness about the harsh realities of kelins in rural Kyrgyzstan. 

Malaysian Political Cartoonist Zunar Sues Police for Unlawful Arrest, Seizure of Books · Global Voices 
Zunar is demanding the police to return 1,187 books and 103 t-shirts which were seized during his arrest last December 17, 2016. 
Photo from the Facebook page of Zunar Cartoonist Fan Club 
Malaysian cartoonist Zulkiflee S.M. Anwarul Haque, more popularly known as Zunar, has filed a case against the police for arresting him and seizing his cartoon books and t-shirts on December 17, 2016. 
Zunar accused the police of making an unlawful arrest and confiscating a total of 1,187 books and 103 t-shirts during an event which he organized to meet his fans and raise funds. 
He explains his reason for taking legal action: 
My books are not banned and I was only selling them to my fans during the fundraising event. 
What is wrong with that? 
Zunar has been arrested several times in the past few years and charged with sedition for his cartoons that criticize government policies, abuse of power by the ruling coalition that has dominated Malaysia’s politics since the 1950s, and curtailment of civil liberties. 
Many of Zunar’s cartoon books have also been confiscated by authorities for allegedly threatening national security. 
Zunar has won recognition in and outside Malaysia as a press freedom fighter. 
He has won accolades from Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Cartoonist Rights Network International. 
His December arrest was tied to a police investigation of him under Section 124C of the Penal Code for “activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy.” 
He was interrogated for six hours and released after the police told him that “they will apply a law to ban all my books.” 
He issued this statement shortly after his release: 
I would like to point out my stand: talent is not a gift, but a responsibility. 
It is my responsibility as a cartoonist to expose corruption and injustices. 
Do I fear jail? 
Yes, but responsibility is bigger that fear. 
You can ban my books, you can ban my cartoons, but you cannot ban my mind. 
I will keep drawing until the last drop of my ink. 
Zunar could be referring to the corruption scandal involving the prime minister and 1MDB, a state-owned investment firm. 
The prime minister is accused of pocketing 680 million US dollars through alleged anomalous transactions made by 1MDB. 
Zunar’s lawyer, N. Surendran, said the filing of the case against the police is intended to warn authorities about making another illegal arrest: 
There will be no more tolerance for this kind of unlawful behaviour against a person whose only crime is to criticise the authorities. 
That is the democratic right of every Malaysian. Zunar is demanding the police to return his books and t-shirts. 

A New App Wants to Help the Blind 'See' the Solar Eclipse · Global Voices 
This is a prototype version of the app’s “rumble map.” 
Credit: Carolyn Beeler/PRI 
This story by Carolyn Beeler originally appeared on PRI.org on August 11, 2017. 
It is republished here as part of a partnership between PRI and Global Voices. 
It sounds like the beginning of a riddle. 
How can someone who’s blind “see” the upcoming eclipse that will cut a path across the United States on August 21? 
It’s a question solar astrophysicist Henry “Trae” Winter started thinking about several months ago after a blind colleague asked him to describe what an eclipse was like. 
“I was caught completely flat-footed,” Winter said. 
“I had no idea how to communicate what goes on during an eclipse to someone who has never seen before in their entire life.” 
Winter remembered a story a friend told him about how crickets can start to chirp in the middle of the day as the moon covers the sun during an eclipse. 
So, he told his colleague that story. 
“The reaction that she had was powerful, and I wanted to replicate that sense of awe and wonder to as many people as I could across the country,” Winter said. 
So Winter, who works at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, decided to build an app to do just that: help blind people experience this summer’s eclipse. 
Solar astrophysicist Henry "Trae" Winter gestures toward a video wall depicting an image of the sun at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 
Credit: Carolyn Beeler/PRI 
“ community has been traditionally left out of astronomy and astrophysics,” Winter said, “and I think that that is a glaring omission that it’s time to answer.” 
Eclipse Soundscapes, which launched for iPads and iPhones on August 10, features real-time narration of different aspects of the eclipse timed for the user’s location. 
A “rumble map” allows users to hear and feel the phenomena when they touch photos of previous eclipses. 
Dark areas in the photos, like the solid black face of the moon, are silent when you touch them. 
Wispy strands of sunlight radiating out from behind the moon emit lower hums. And touching brighter areas, like the shards of light that peek out from behind the moon’s valleys, produce higher frequencies. 
The sounds are paired with vibrations, soft for darker areas and more intense for brighter spots. 
“We managed to create frequencies that resonate with the body of the phone,” said the app’s audio engineer Miles Gordon, “so the phone is vibrating entirely using the speaker.” 
A prototype for future tools 
“The goal of this app is not to give someone who’s blind or visually impaired the exact same experience as a sighted person,” Winter said. 
“What I hope this is, is a prototype, a first step, something we can learn from to make the next set of tools.” 
Other tools exist to allow blind people to experience the eclipse, including tactile maps and books, but it’s still understood largely as visual phenomena. 
Chancey Fleet, the colleague who first asked Winter to describe an eclipse at a conference months ago, was skeptical when she learned about his idea for an app. 
“The first time I heard that blind people were being asked to pay attention to the eclipse, I kind of laughed to myself, and tried to contain my really dismissive reaction,” said Fleet, who’s an accessible technology educator at a library in New York. “It almost sounds like a joke.” 
Credit: Carolyn Beeler/PRI 
“Nothing is ever just visual, really. 
And just proves that point again.” 
The app development team has gotten help from Wanda Diaz Merced, an astrophysicist who is blind, to make sure the software is easy to navigate. 
She believes the app will show people that there’s more to an eclipse than spooky midday darkness. “People will discover, 'Oh, I can also hear this!'” 
Diaz Merced said. 
Phase two of the project is to build an accessible database for those recordings, so blind people can easily access them. 
That’s the element of the project Diaz Merced is most excited about from a scientific standpoint. 
After she lost her sight in her late 20s, she had to build her own computer program to convert telescope data to sound files so she could continue her research (here's her TED talk). 
She hopes this project spurs more interest in making data accessible to researchers like her. 
“What I do hope is that databases in science will use database model … for us to be able to have meaningful access to the information,” Diaz Merced said. 
“And that perhaps through database, we will not be segregated.” 
In that way, she hopes the impact of the eclipse will last much longer than a day. 

Rice Fields and Carabaos: A Glimpse of Rural Life in the Philippines · Global Voices 
Listen, can you not hear the song of a new life coming from the fields and the mountains? 
Photo and caption by Lito Ocampo, used with permission 
Veteran photographer and activist Lito Ocampo has been making frequent visits to his hometown of Pampanga, located in the central part of Luzon Island in the Philippines, to escape the noise and dirt of the capital region Manila. 
His visits allowed him to recall his childhood while enjoying the quaint beauty of his birthplace. 
Through photos he shared with Global Voices, Ocampo captured not just typical scenes in a lowland farming village, but also, perhaps unintentionally, the state of Philippine agriculture. 
For example, the continuing prevalent use of carabaos reflects the backward condition of the country’s agricultural sector in general. 
The use of roads for drying crops indicates the lack of facilities available to farmers. 
Beyond highlighting idyllic countryside life, Ocampo reminds young photographers to take in the plight of rural residents, especially farmers, who are among the country’s poorest people and suffer health risks due to the backbreaking work they undertake in the fields. 
With urbanization continuing to spread, many farming villages and green habitats like the hometown of Ocampo can be instantly converted into commercial land or tourism centers. 
Thus, Ocampo’s photos can also be used to educate the public about problems regarding land use, the status of the land reform program and the pressing need to protect the environment. 
Take a virtual tour of Sta. 
Rita town in the province of Pampanga: 
Next to fisherfolk, farmers belong to the poorest sector in the Philippines. 
Photo by Lito Ocampo, used with permission 
Photo by Lito Ocampo, used with permission 
Photo by Lito Ocampo, used with permission 
Photo and caption by Lito Ocampo, used with permission 
Maya birds on electric wires, waiting to attack the grains of palay (rice) in the rice fields. 
Photo and caption by Lito Ocampo, used with permission 
Maya birds at the rice fields. 
Photo and caption by Lito Ocampo, used with permission 
'Car' parking. 
Carabao shed. 
Photo by Lito Ocampo, used with permission 
Photographer Lito Ocampo at an irrigation canal. 

Shifts in Bangladeshi Wedding Culture Bring a Change to the Menu · Global Voices 
Bride and groom, posing at a wedding. 
Photography by Sanim Haque. 
Used with permission 
Everyone loves a wedding, and if you're a food lover you don't want to miss a chance to attend a Bangladeshi wedding. 
Considering the love Bengalis have for their cuisine, it comes as no surprise that they go the extra mile for their wedding celebrations. 
The wedding season in Bangladesh usually runs from December to January, when the temperature is cooler. 
The sweet desserts include sweetened yogurts, Payesh, Jorda and different kinds of sweetmeats. When the groom arrives at the wedding, he is welcomed with sorbet and sweets. 
Until a few decades ago, weddings used to be arranged inside the premises of the home or the neighborhood and was served by family and friends. 
Nowadays, the venue has shifted to community centers and other halls where professional catering services and chefs deal with the food. 
Novelist and journalist Iraj Ahmed reminisces about his childhood: 
There was a huge gate wrapped in red, white and green clothes standing where the lane started (welcoming the guests). 
In the scorching sunlight, huge pots filled with Biryani would be sitting on the makeshift burners of bricks. 
The area would be filled with the smoke of the firewood of the burners. 
On the rooftop, light grey chairs and tables would be assembled beneath the tarpaulin. 
You could see people running errands like busy bees. 
And some were seen coming out of that scene after filling their stomachs with curry marks on their festive clothes. 
They would inadvertently walk ahead to buy a Seven Up (drink) or a paan at the local store. 
The air would be filled with joy. 
This was the scene of a typical wedding in Dhaka many years ago. 
In those days, people would say that it's bad manners to serve guests catered food; however, now people seem to be catching up with the reality of the times. 
Siddhratha Mukhopaddhay from West Bengal, India writes about the changes in Bengali weddings: 
Now the hosts want to be sure about the hospitality by giving all the responsibility to the caterers. 
The tendency to serve the guests personally has changed. 
Earlier the guests would not come to the weddings if they were not invited in person by visiting their homes. 
Now, it's sometimes via phone calls and people are even accepting wedding invitations via Facebook or Whatsapp! 
A glimpse inside the new Bangladeshi wedding menu 
Along with the changes in wedding culture, there has been a shift in the wedding food items in Bangladeshi cuisine. 
Earlier, simple dishes like Pulau with chicken roast, spicy mutton rezala (curry), fried beef, Tikia (mutton mince patty), salad with tomato and cucumber and borhani, and desserts such as jorda or rice pudding used to be served. 
Now, more complex and lavish dishes like Biryani, a Mughal cuisine, is being increasingly chosen for menus. 
There is even a special arrangement for the groom. 
For wealthy families, the norm is to serve him and his entourage a whole lamb roast. 
The groom is being welcomed with sweets. 
Image by Sanim Haque. 
The groom has been served. 
Image by Sanim Haque. 
Plain Pulau - a simple spicy rice dish. 
Image by Sanim Haque. 
Biryani 
Serving Biryani, a South Asian mixed rice dish, is now becoming a norm. 
Unlike Pulau (which is eaten with roast and curry dishes), Biryani is a complete dish with meat and spices (and vegetables) inside. A post shared by PaThaN swrov (@imfoysalpathan) on Nov 29, 2017 at 9:36am PST Mutton Rezala (spicy curry) 
Mutton Rezala is a curry dish originating in Bengal that is prepared from mutton and vegetables. It is served typically with Pulau or rice. 
This is one of the common figures on menus at Bangladeshi weddings. 
Image by Sanim Haque. 
Image by Sanim Haque. 
Tikia (Mutton mince patty) 
Tikia, a common dish at weddings. 
Used with permission. 
Image by Sanim Haque. 
Paan Paan is a preparation combining betel leaf with areca nut, tobacco leaf and other spices. 
Used with permission. 
Used with permission. Although the dishes served at Bangladeshi weddings have started to change, one thing always remains the same — they are delicious. 

From the 2017 Global Voices Summit in Colombo, Sri Lanka: Into the Deep Podcast · Global Voices 
Last December, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in a small hotel game room with decent acoustics — and with a tropical storm brewing outside — ten Global Voices contributors from around the world gathered in a room to talk about international friendship, cross-cultural collaboration and the value of community. 
They were among the hundred authors, translators and editors from 60 countries who had gathered at the Mount Lavinia hotel for the biennial Global Voices summit to discuss the future of media, community, and the organization itself. 
Into the Deep is the Global Voices podcast where we dig deep into one topic that isn’t getting the media coverage it deserves. 
And in this podcast we are going to be giving you a glimpse of the latest Global Voices summit. 
Global Voices is an international network of passionate people who keep tabs on the online conversations happening in their regions. 
Our more than 1400, mostly volunteer, contributors cover stories from 167 countries and translate them into more than 30 languages. 
Together, we’ve been building bridges of understanding, as we like to call them, through our digital reporting since 2005. 
In this episode, we featured Creative Commons licensed music from the Free Music Archive, including Rite of Passage, Quasi Motion, and Tikopia by Kevin MacLeod. 
The photo used in the feature image is a selfie by Faaris Adam from the Global Voices Summit in Colombo. 
Used with permission. 

How an Indian professor is turning plastic trash into highways · Global Voices 
This post by Todd Reubold was originally published on Ensia.com, a magazine that highlights international environmental solutions in action, and is republished here as part of a content-sharing agreement. 
Plastic pollution is one of the greatest challenges facing the world. 
Just last week, scientists writing in the journal Scientific Reports announced that the weight of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch was four to 16 times more than we thought. 
All of this means finding ways to recycle and reuse plastic waste are more important than ever. 
Enter Rajagopalan Vasudevan, a professor at the Thiagarajar College of Engineering in Madurai, India. After seeing plastic waste was a growing problem throughout the country, he devised a method for converting recycled, shredded plastic waste into flexible, long-lasting roadways: 
When I started the work, some of the companies in the United States they came to know that, they were offering a lot of money. 
They wanted the technology to be given to them, but I said no, we are not giving like that. I'm giving to my country freely. 
To date, thousands of kilometers of highways in India have been paved using the process he invented, thereby reducing the amount of plastic waste that might otherwise be released into the environment: 
India's got 41 lakhs (4.1 million) kilometers, only 1 lakh is laid. 
The other roads should be laid. That is the motivation for the whole work. 
Budapest, Hungary-based filmmaker Seth Coleman produced, shot and edited this video.