12 May 2009

Stories from 12 May 2009

Russia: Translation of Baymurat Story

Jost A Mon translates Roman Gruzov's Bolshoi Gorod text (RUS) about Baymurat, “an unlikely star” of the Russian internet, mentioned on GV back in April – here: “… a poorly dressed Tajik gastarbeiter who brilliantly performed the song ‘Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja’ from the Hindi film ‘Disco Dancer’ with such...

Serbia: Skull Tower

Gray Falcon writes: “If there was just one thing I could show someone seeking to understand the Serbs, I would take them to a hill northeast of Niš (Ниш), and show them the Skull Tower.”

Russia: Visa Application Process

White Sun of the Desert writes about the Russian visa application process: “Then at the beginning of this year they decided that all applications had to come with a notarised translation of every page of your passport, including all visas and stamps therein. I have a 48-page passport with stamps...

Maldives: Parliamentary Elections

  12 May 2009

The first multiparty legislative elections of Maldives have ended and “the party of the Maldives’ dissident-turned-president has likely won the most seats in the country's first multiparty legislative elections, but not enough for an outright majority,” reports Maldives Live.

Help Global Voices Advocacy win $3000 by writing one post

  12 May 2009

Help Global Voices Advocacy win $1200! The prize money would help us continue to raise awareness of attacks on online freedom of speech, and share tools and tactics with activists and bloggers facing censorship on different parts of the globe. All you have to do is write a post in your own blog, including the following text…

Paraguay: Mala Visión in Guaraní Mythology

  12 May 2009

Mala Visión is a nocturnal spirit that lives in the forest and is part of the Guaraní mythology in Paraguay. Al Paraguay [es] tells about the beliefs held by his wife's family and her uncle's experience with the spirit.

Egypt: Obama to Address Muslim World from Egypt

The date is all set. US President Barack Hussain Obama will deliver his much anticipated speech on relations with the Muslim world in Egypt on June 4 and the Egyptian blogosphere is as divided as ever, with some questioning whether Obama will turn a blind eye to the country's human rights record. And although the speech and its content and impact on relations with the region are taking a backseat for the moment, the pressing question on many bloggers' minds is: "Why Egypt?"

Cuba: Blogging from Prison

  12 May 2009

Uncommon Sense reveals that “Cuban independent journalist Pablo Pacheco Ávila…has started a blog”, while Octavo Cerco fills in the details on how he's managing to get his voice heard from behind prison walls.

Cuba, Jamaica: Examining the Revolution

  12 May 2009

“What has the Cuban Revolution achieved for the people of the country, the Caribbean and the wider world after 50 years in power?” Jamaican diaspora blogger Mark Lee, writing at Abeng News Magazine, attempts to find out.

Guyana: There Goes the Community

  12 May 2009

“As we, as a nation, strive to put food on tables and to build, renovate or spruce up our homes we have developed a culture of neglecting our wider environment and particularly places of recreation”: Guyanese blogger Imran Khan calls the neglect “a sad and sorry state of affairs.”