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Recently in Argentina

David Sasaki · 19:52 · Americas

As always, “[ES]” refers to posts in Spanish. All other linked pages are, at least partly, written in English.

Diego Sarraseca, an Argentine living in Los Angeles, wrote a trilingual post yesterday entitled, “Today We Celebrate Christmas in Argentina,” referring to the birthday of soccer star Diego Maradona and the prophet-like status he holds in the country. For more context, Altered Argentina has a creative and hilarious post comparing Maradona with his country. Jeff Barry, at first, “couldn't understand why this fat, drug addict with bad hair was a national hero.” But then says, “as I started to see him interviewed on TV (before he had his own show) I came to see a side of him — a certain child-like quality — that is appealing.”

Smart Mobs picks up a story by Fernando Marino-Aguirre on OhmyNews about Argentina's Education Minister, Daniel Filmus' commitment to purchase between 500,000 and one million low cost laptops from the MIT Media Lab, making Argentina the first Spanish-speaking country to commit to the program. Paula Alvarado, from Buenos Aires, has a post on Treehugger about recent sustainability breakthroughs in Argentina.

The main buzz around the Argentine blogosphere, however, is undoubtedly focused on George W. Bush's upcoming visit to the country for the fourth Summit of the Americas, which will take place in Mar del Plata. Or more specifically, bloggers are focusing on upcoming planned protests against the American president. GoodAirs has covered the series of small bombs which have exploded at U.S. symbols throughout Buenos Aires. Fernando Marino-Aguirre writes on OhmyNews that some Mar del Plata residents “have decided to leave next week for fear of attacks or incidents that might take place during the meeting of the Fourth Summit of the Americas on Nov. 4-5.” Marino-Aguirre also describes a week-long effort of opposition, organized by the Continental Social Alliance, which will coincide with the Summit. Marcos Solis, writing from Chile, offers a brief summary of the Summit of the America's purpose and history and closes with the obligatory anti-Bush photograph. An interesting forum thread has started at Physics Forums, of all places, describing the general state of Argentine anger directed at the Bush. Los Blogueros points readers [ES] to marchacontrabush.com [ES] (”March Against Bush”), which is an impressive collection of news items related to Bush's visit and the protest against it. The march itself, dubbed, “March and Act for Latin American Dignity,” will take place on November 4th at 11 a.m. in Mar del Plata. Responding to news that public employees will not be working on Friday in order to protest Bush's visit, neither Ana Toniolli nor Mirko [ES] understand what good the shutting down of an entire country's public service will do to protest the visit of another country's president.

Finally, a potpourri: And, Yes, I Do Take it Personally explains what a “paseaperro” is. Jorge Gobbi writes about Monte, a small town 110 KM north of Buenos Aires. The Social Science Information Gateway has a useful collection of links relating to the recent parliamentary elections. And finally, Clarin's Weblog About Weblogs informs that Leandro Zanoni and Darío Gallo have started a census [ES] of traditional journalists who have weblogs. More information can be found at Zanoni's eBlog [ES].

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From the African women's blogsphere

Nish Matenjwa · 11:03 · Sub-Saharan Africa

On 26 October, Togo became the 15th country to ratify the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa thus ensuring the ratification of the Protocol within 30 days, writes Black Looks.

The protocol is groundbreaking and far-reaching says Black Looks, and protects a broad range of African women’s human rights while reinforcing international law on women’s equality. Other countries that have so far ratified the Protocol are Cape Verde, The Comoros, Djibouti, The Gambia, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Benin. 38 African countries have yet to ratify the Protocol and much work still needs to be undertaken by civil society and African women’s organisations, nevertheless, this development should be viewed as a significant starting point.

Black Looks also honours Hauwa Ibrahim, a Nigerian human rights lawyer who is joint winner of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament together with Reporters without Borders and Cuba’s Ladies in White. The award honours individuals who work to combat intolerance, fanaticism and oppression. Hauwa Ibrahim, has defended many women accused of adultery and condemned to death in the Nigerian states applying Sharia law.

Helenism writes about religion and the conflict in her mind with regard to wishing to convert from the Eritrean Orthodox Church, the religion she grew up with and Buddhism, a religion she feels a close affinity with and which she feels could be the route to her physical and spiritual awareness.

Poverty, economic mismanagement, political instability and war are ever increasing realities in Africa despite the continent having a multitude of resources, writes Keeper of her thoughts. Keeper says what required “is better governance, stronger institutions and more stalwart systems of management” and more importantly, a willingness of Africans to make governments accountable.

Keeper follows this article with a personal tribute to Professor Wangari Maathai - Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2004, who she says is the African woman at her most heroic.

As an example of when moaning about what needs to be done will not make things done , Bee writes about a story she recently read about a man who travels the desert with a mobile camel library and who “brings the understanding of how the sun sets to others through books”.

Bronwyn takes beautiful photographs and writes poetically about the jacaranda season in Johannesburg:

“When the jacarandas are in season it seems that the air itself becomes infused with a soft purple light. The flowers drift down on to your windshield as you drive and scatter the pavements everywhere as if a purple snowstorm has hit town…..and when the jacarandas are in bloom, you know that the whole summer stretches before you and it just makes you feel happy.”

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This Week in Palestinian Blogs

Shaden Abdul Rahman · 03:12 · Middle East & North Africa

Three major issues forced themselves to appear on Palestinian blogs this week:
1) The so called Gaza disengagement,
2) The discriminatory Apartheid Wall (which imprisons Palestinians in the largest jail humanity has ever known) and
3) The ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by Israeli military forces.

Before you proceed, I'd like to welcome Lisa N.Goldman, the Israeli blogger and GV new author of the Israeli Blogsphere. Welcome aboard Lisa.

In peacepalestine the upcoming group interview with Israel Shamir is your chance to participate in posing and knowing the answers of twenty questions assembled into a questionnaire. Book your question now if you hadn't already. thecutter quotes Alon Liel discussing Israel’s need of support (or rather its lack of), from the outside world: “The past five years, the years of the Al-Aqsa Intifada, have taught an important lesson about Israel's situation in the international arena: Israel has in effect become immune to international pressure”. “People who still believe that the Israeli-Arab conflict will in the end be solved only as the result of international pressure can forget about it.” Sharon's final solution for the palestinian problem is ethnic cleansing.

Laila of Raising Yousuf has great news for you, Iman a Swedish convert to Islam who recently moved to Gaza City with her Palestinian husband and three children, now had an English blog. “Its brutally honest and to the point, which also makes it worth reading. If you'd really like to understand what life is like “living in Gaza City” (or even travelling to Gaza City) I suggest you take a look”, says umkahlil.

Haitham Sabbah urges to protest against the Nobel Prize for prof. Aumann and Thomas Schelling . In the sample letter written by the Israeli peace and anti nuclear activist Gideon Spiro : “Schelling ideas were the direct inspiration for US strategy in Vietnam, of indiscriminantly bombing the North in order to persuade Ho Chi Minh to stop supporting the Vietcong in the South” apparently it was an all pain, no gain role. “This strategy resulted in 2 million civilian deaths and was a complete failure in realizing its objectives” and “Aumann uses his analysis to justify the Israeli Occupation and the oppression of the Palestinians.” Sign the statement. In Sabbah's Blog as well, an eye for an eye and a tit for tat attacks is exactly what's been going on in Occupied Palestine for the past few days, “but whose eye, and whose tat was it first? “. Sabbah adds: “everyone is talking about Palestinian crime and how did they break the cease fire. What a joke. What about the crimes of IOF? Can’t the media see those? Or is it Halal for Israelis to kill Palestinians and Haraam for Palestinians to kill Israelis? “.

In Baqa'a Refugee Camp, “Landscapes of Hope and Despair” is a book that chronicles the experience of Palestinians living in the camps of Lebanon from the perspective of place and space, and how these parameters have affected their identity.

Rafah Pundits report that IDF is attempting a new propaganda tactic, “In a new move against Palestinian resistance groups, Israeli military helicopters dropped thousands of leaflets on Beit Hanoon and northern areas of the Gaza Strip, encouraging local residents to report on names and the whereabouts of those operating Qassam rockets”. Rafah Pundits has a copy of the leaflet which is written in Arabic and below it you a translation in English. IDF is also “plans to create ‘a military restricted zone’ around the Gaza Strip. The new plan involves setting up several missile-firing positions”. “Initial information indicated that the Israeli army consider choosing specific high locations in order to enable the missiles to reach any target, wherever it is in the Gaza Strip and at anytime”. Moreover, Israeli air raids continued in Gaza, since the morning hours, Israeli F-16 air fighters have launched at least three air strikes in north and east of the Gaza Strip. One Palestinian was killed and three wounded in the attack. Israeli air strikes in Gaza and Rafah started on the 25th of this month.Now tell me, what kind of disengagement is that? Gaza Strip is still occupied! And no, I can't see where and why is the ceasefire!

Israeli soldiers and schoolgirls in East Jerusalem, by farfuglinn

In umkahlil:

Israel arrested as many as 800 Palestinians for having a general association with the Islamic movement in the occupied territories

Farha Barghothy “Mother of prisoners”, a great popular poet, and one of the leaders of the Palestinian women movement died on Saturday. Her dying wish was to see her two jailed sons.

IOF Bombs Clinic, Social Center, Injures Old Woman, Infant

The death of three children was ignored in a familiar disgraceful way as AP reported the crime titled: “Israelis Kill Seven Palestinian Militants” appeared next to the story appeared a photo of six grieving Israelis at a funeral for one of the victims of the Khadera suicide bombing, the headline was changed by the morning into “Israelis Kill Seven Palestinians” with a photo of Palestinians mourning the deaths.

IOF Invades Bil'in (village near the West Bank city of Ramallah)

In electronicintifada, Israel assassinates two Palestinians in Tulkarem. From International Solidarity Movement: Palestinians and ISMers stand down Israeli military in the olive harvest.. And more settler attacks in Hebron (Khalil) while soldiers and police watch: settlers attacked a school girl near Qurtuba School, three internationals who rushed to aid her and the Palestinian child had been removed from the area by the police. The three internationals were released afterwards leaving Israa (the schoolgirl) behind them while the charges against her if any remain unclear. Settlers in Hebron also chanted “death to Arabs” while they helped the soldiers into forcing a group of Human Rights Activists into a shop.ISM reports that olive harvest was blocked in Yanoun by police and settlers.

In Palestine Blogs, Three Cities Against the Wall: Ramallah, Tel Aviv, New York. “Three Cities Against the Wall is an exhibition protesting the Separation Wall under construction by Israel in the Occupied Territories of Palestine. This project involves groups of artists in Ramallah, Palestine; Tel Aviv, Israel; and New York City. The show will be held simultaneously in all three cities in November 2005.”

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