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Belarus & Russia: Traffic Police Stories

Veronica Khokhlova · 17:24 · Eastern & Central Europe

Due to certain unprofessionalism and corruption in their ranks, traffic police feature prominently in jokes and contemporary urban folklore of the former Soviet states. Below are three actual stories and reactions to them, posted in LiveJournal this month (translated from Russian).

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Minsk, Belarus (April 6, 2006) - This story and one of the many comments to it highlight the mood of the traffic police in the days of the protest against the rigged presidential election. Black ribbons (on car antennas, etc.) as a symbol of mourning were popular around the time of Aleksandr Lukashenko's inauguration; blue balloons (and other things blue) distinguished the supporters of the opposition:

sim_by: Yesterday, I was stopped by traffic cops. They, as usual, asked to see my ID. Checked it. All was okay. Then one of them asked:
- What are these black ribbons?
- Just ribbons, nothing special…
At this point, one of the cops began to touch the ribbons - but he wasn't tearing them down.
- Has someone died or what?
- Actually, no, not yet…
- So what's the matter?
- Well, there are a few things in the country…
- The President, isn't it?
- Well, perhaps the president, yes…
- Do you have your first aid kit?
- Yes!
- A fire extinguisher?
- Yes!
- Show it!
I showed it. The cop spent a long time checking expiration dates, examined the fire extinguisher carefully, the way you examine a $100 bill at the currency exchange booth. But everything was in order. He was in dismay:
- Well, maybe you should still take the ribbons down?
- What for? There's nothing about it in the rules.
The cop was totally upset by then and told me: “Go!” :)

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Iran's Nuclear Crisis, Persian Gulf Islands and Funds for Palestine

Farid Pouya · 16:05 · Middle East & North Africa

Permanent members of UN Security Council and Germany have come together to discuss their common action against Iran and the so-called “nuclear crisis” is a very hot issue in the Iranian media and blogs.

Jadi (Persian) writes about nuclear energy and why he is against it:

“I as a democrat, environmentalist and a pro sustainable development am against nuclear energy. I think Iran’s problem is not energy but industrial undevelopment. If Iran wants electricity she must improve present installations and not to buy second Chernobyl….I hate wasting oil money without asking me…”

There are several comments left on Jedi's post, in Persian, expressing different point of views. Hassan who left a comment is in favour of nuclear weapon and says we are living in a wild world and we need to have them to defend ourselves. He reminds us that Afghanistan was a wounded country after 30 years war and Iraq was disarmed. He adds they were defenceless and then they were attacked.

Saba in another comment says Iran is a potentially rich country but drugs, unemployment and prostitution are everywhere. These slogans (nuclear right) are there to distract us.

Foad a blogger says in his comment “My absolute right is bread ,freedom, happiness and sex..; these minor things and not big issues like nuclear energy.”

There is a group of Iranian bloggers which has changed their names to express two issues (Persian):
1-They ask government to be tough on Arab countries that are in dispute with Iran regarding three small islands in Persian Gulf.
2-They also ask government to resist against western pressure concerning nuclear issue.

According to news reports, Iran will contribute 50 million dollars to Palestinian authority. Hojreh, a cleric blogger, says (Persian) he want his share, as an Iranian citizen, of this money. He adds he is really disgusted when Palestinian groups did not condemn the bombing of Shiite mosques in Iraq.

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Voices of African women – this week

Nish Matenjwa · 12:04 · Sub-Saharan Africa

Fleur writes about the harrowing case of 7 soldiers sentenced to life for rape and crime against humanity for the rape of 119 underage girls in Congo. The government of Congo has also admitted partial responsibility and financially compensated the family of the victims. Fleur says

….it sends an important and strong message! Frankly I am very surprised! They really recognised the gravity of rape. Financial compensation doesn’t erase everything, but it’s good to see that rape and murder are taken very seriously and severely punished. There is hope, after all.

Black Looks posts an update on the Nigerian Gay Bill Update which has now had its first reading in the Senate. Things are far worse now. The Bill, extremely repressive when it was first originated, will now also include other clauses that make will make the safety and work of the gay community, organisations working for LBGT rights and HIV/AIDS organisations that more dangerous. Black Looks writes

The Bill effectively silences the issue of homosexuality in Nigeria and removes all Human Rights of HR defenders, lesbians, gays, bi-bisexuals and transgendered people.

Afrikan Eye has written a long and interesting post on the effect of colonialism on African women. The aim of the post, she says is not lay blame but to ‘share knowledge and information and give us all some historical perspective as we look at our current state of affairs and make plans to mould our future’. She also writes

May we as Africans strive to restore African women to a position of respect and dignity that even exceed that which she enjoyed in the past. For it is only when a nation respects women and treats them with dignity that true development can occur. Women are at the frontlines of humanity as mothers and primary caregivers. Therefore, in nurturing and building them, we are building the whole nation and continent.

Particular bloggers in the Kenyan blogsphere has been on the receiving end of abusive comments and e-mails. In a post entitled ’Violent Writing and Gangsta Writers’where she takes issue with the people who write these comments and e-mails, W.M.has written an excellent post that has received wide support within the Kenyan blogsphere. She writes

Incivility is the blunt weapon of those who have disenfranchised themselves from the society of reasoned discussion. Insults are the pitiful shadows of lyrical expression, and gangsta writing the frustrated and simultaneous love/envy of those who have command over, and pride in, the authoritative arrangement of their own words.

Finally, Ore while going to the pictures to see the film ‘Pride and Prejudice' writes about the importance ’holding your assumptions lightly’ while Mama JunkYard writes about the 108 Miles she has been taking to and fro work.

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This week in Israel: Passover and a suicide bombing

Lisa N. Goldman · 02:50 · Middle East & North Africa

Suicide bombing in Tel AViv

I was planning to write this week's post about how Israelis are observing the Passover holiday, which began last Wednesday night with the festival seder meal, but unfortunately there was a suicide bombing this afternoon in Tel Aviv so I'll start with that, followed by some links to posts about the holiday.

The suicide bombing

I happened to be sitting with a friend in a cafe that was quite near the site of the bombing when it occured, and heard the blast. It was a powerful one and sounded much closer than it actually was. Since I work as a freelance journalist I ran off to cover the story; my post about what I saw is here. I also had my camera with me and posted a set of photos here.

Stephanie Fried wrote a touching post about the phone call she received from her worried father, who lives in the United States. She was reminded of a unique experience she had during the Gulf War in 1991 (read her post for details), when the phone lines to Israel were congested for days and her parents had no idea whether she and her siblings were safe from the Scud missiles launched at Israel from Iraq.

And I hung up the phone realizing: Wow. Here they go again. A child in Israel. The worry is back. And the memory of that videotape returned and tears sprung to my eyes. What we put them through inadvertently.

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