Global Voices Online

African Unchained reports on the Timbuku Educational Foundation.….”founded for the sole purpose of preserving, restoring, and disseminating the important intellectual contributions of the early African scholars from the famous Timbuktu Universities of Mali, West Africa”

Eddie Cross writing in Zimbabwean Pundit discusses the possible impact of climate change on local agribusnesses and peasant farming….”Climate change will further damage the prospects of the subsistence sector. These farmers, some 800 000 of them - mostly women, do not produce significant surpluses and with the growth in urban populations the dependence on commercial large scale farming is likely to grow significantly in the years ahead. This deteriorating outlook for the capacity of the small-scale sector to meet even subsistence needs is being compounded by the HIV/Aids situation.”

Afromusing relays her most recent experience of travelling in the US and the inconsistency of airline security procedures - or is there some racial element involved?

Chippla's Weblog discusses the ethnics of cousins marrying. ….“Whatever your views on first cousin marriages happen to be, they would likely be shaped by your beliefs, upbringing, environment and what you have read and chosen to accept.”

Grandiose Parlour adds his voice to the DDT debate as he questions the safety of using that chemical to eradicate malaria. “The question is: Are we ready to do what it takes to control or even eradicate malaria? Or all we want to do is spray the bloody anopheles mosquitos and darn the consequence later“?

On Anti's English Blog, a translation of an interview with liberal author Yu Shicun on his opposition to intellectuals. “There is no effective criticism among intellectuals, not to mention effective criticism to the society. The intellectuals lack the sense of self discipline and making contribution to the society. This has lead the intellectuals either become followers of cynicism or servants to merchants and officials.”

Austin Arensberg meets Paul French at a Beijing bookshop and interviews him about his new book on North Korea.

On Indonesia Today by Yosef Ardi, an evaluation of how successful the Indonesian government has so far been in stamping out graft in 2005, which it had dubbed the “Year of Eradicating Corruption.” The verdict: not very successful.

As the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Busan, South Korea nears, Andy Jackson of Flying Yangban discusses what the likely anti-globalization protests that will accompany it mean.