Global Voices Online

Writes Farrel Lifson at politics.za, South Africa's largest trade union COSATU gets a lot of media exposure, but still has fewer than two million members.

“Next year will be 25 years since you were shot ruthlessly and left to die in some ditch,” writes Farmgirl to her much-missed father. “Oh just want to tell you that Raila and his cronies plotted the whole coup thing that led to your death…I wish he would say sorry to the many families that lost loved ones. Daddy I wish he would just take a minute and say he is sorry that I grew up without you.”

Tasneem Khalil reports that Bangladesh is the cover theme for August 2006 issue of the Himal Southasian, South Asia's first and only regional magazine. The magazine's introspective comment: “Bangladesh is set to become a powerful member of the world community, once it deals with its difficult issues of mal governance and confrontational politics”.

Cigay of Bhutan Weblog writes about an age old dating tradition of Bhutan. Young men used to visit a girl's house discreetly at night, to let her know of his feelings and his intention to marry her and have children with her. With the passage of time, this rural practice has been misunderstood and grossly abused by those who are richer or more powerful.

Indonesian blogger Christine Susanna Tjhin, currently a student in China, talks about the traditional Chinese Valentine's Day. This year, the day falls on 31 July.

Reminding readers of Godwin's Law, which says that “as an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one,” Eduardo Arcos posts (ES) recent photos of election protests in Mexico.

Franco Giménez introduces (ES) SosPeriodista (ES) (”You're the Journalist”), a new citizen media space based out of Córdoba.

annabengan of annasblog reposts the Sunday Times Magazine's article on Albania, and the “official reply/explanation from the chief editor of Sunday Times.” annabengan's Albanian friends thought the article was “fair” - while her non-Albanian friends considered it “bad journalism.” One reader wrote: “[…] if this were written about a poor decrepit black neighborhood in a ghetto somewhere, it would not have been as condemning or condescending; there would have been at least a little understanding of why the squalor is so present and a bit of compassion for the people trapped in that cycle.” Our Man In Tirana links to other responses that the article has received.

Eric Gordy of East Ethnia writes on the talks of war and the pains of forming a viable democratic coalition in Serbia.