Global Voices Online

Jerusalemite offers tips for how to stay cool in the summer heat. They include: “If your skin is any lighter than the fuul on your hummus (not a scientific gauge), and you're going to be outside for awhile, put on some sunscreen. If your skin turns to bacon, you may run into trouble with some locals who have issues with that particular meat.”

Lawyer and blogger raymiyatake expresses his doubts [ja] over the election of Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano as director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). First, he says, Amano was supported by only 23 nations out of 35. Second, he points out the difficult situation that the Agency is dealing with, at present, and the “unfairness” of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which should be applied also to the five members already recognized as possessing nuclear power. Lastly, he suggests that instead of promoting a “pacific use” of nuclear energy, this should be replaced with clean energy sources (such as the geothermal or the aeolian ones).

Charukesi at A Time To Reflect posts some pictures of rain soaked Mumbai. She comments: “I love the rains in Bombay, the clogged roads, the wet clothes, the potholes, the frogs and warts and all.”

Elena reports that Sulamain-Too, the Sacred Mountain, has become the Kyrgyzstan’s first site to be inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Jackara presents a photopost about the magnificent glacier lake high in the mountains near Almaty, the largest city of Kazakhstan.

IzzyBee reflects on the joy of her urban garden. “In my Jerusalem patio… bougainvillea blooms in shades of magenta, crimson, and pale orange. We planted an olive tree, a cypress, a lime tree, jasmine, honeysuckle, red geraniums, climbing roses, morning glory, hydrangea, purple daisies, basil, mint, and lemon verbena. Everything thrives.”

Darvish, a leading Iranian green blogger, shares Yann Arthus-Bertrand's photos on desert. The blogger calls the photographer an artist who sees the beauty of desert.

my rustic bajan garden is thrilled that it's Flamboyant season!

Life in Dubai posts a photograph of workers in the heat, wearing straw hats and comments: “I came across this gang of labourers this morning, looking very stylish in their straw hats.”