Global Voices Online

Have you got a question for the Bolivian Ambassador to the US? Now is the time to ask it as Jim Shultz prepares for his upcoming interview.

Caferati has a writing exercise that asks writers to write from the other side of the fence. “It could be a poem extolling child labour. A monologue from a necrophiliac. An essay in favour of stronger government controls if you're a libertarian (or a paean to free markets of you're not).”

Nepali Netbook comments on the peace process being a farce. “Protestors injured in the April Uprising want representation in the interim parliament. Can the relatives of those killed be far behind?”

The Narcosphere and Western Hemisphere Policy Watch come to different conclusions on the detention of TeleSur reporter Freddy Muñoz by Colombian authorities. Dan Feder of Narcosphere writes: “At the very least, the Colombian government, in allowing the press to discover the accusations against Muñoz has made a very heavy-handed attempt to discredit an accomplished journalist who has exposed the ugly side of the Colombian and U.S. governments’ war against leftwing rebels.” But Western Hemisphere Policy Watch counters, “Chavez is actively seeking to destabilize the Colombian government by supporting the FARC and other rebel groups in Colombia. Telesur is nothing but a propaganda arm of the Bolivarian movement in the Americas. We put our faith in the Colombian legal system.”

The Oyster travel card in London maybe a bit more than just a device for convenience according to Suspect Paki. “If you register your Oyster Card, the police can, without your knowledge, determine the extent of all your London Transport wanderings.”

Andrew Morris on family in Bangladesh and UK. “It never ceases to amaze me here that ‘family members' can travel across the country, turn up unannounced at a relative's home, and expect to be accommodated, fed and watered for up to a month.”

Generation Consciente writes (Fr): “Despite its best efforts, Paris did not succeed in getting the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution that might oust President Gbagbo. After intense negotiations at the UN headquarters, Resolution 1721 regarding Cote d'Ivoire, a French intitiative, was adopted by the Security Council. It maintains Laurent Gbagbo at the head of Cote d'Ivoire for another year (until October 2007), a measure which further delays elections.”

All Things Pakistan has a wonderful post on headgear in Pakistan. “Even though with increased travel, TV, and urbanization some of the caps (not turbans, though) worn in one part of the country have also been adopted by people in other parts but, by and large, the cap or a turban a man wears dose hint at the broader ethnicity of that person and, sometime, even at his social status.”

A.M. Mora y Leon tries to make sense of Rafael Correa's win on Sunday in Ecuador's presidential election: “And maybe it’s understandable - Correa was a fresh face. Noboa was an oligarch. Correa must have seemed more like an outsider, more willing to be worth the gamble to focus on the poor, via handouts.” Greg of Two Weeks Notice adds, “Perhaps the most problematic for democracy will be the resistance he will face in the legislature, with the lack of a loyal opposition, though this will obviously depend on what types of reforms he attempts.” Both Milton Ramirez and Erwin Cifuentes do the media reaction roundup while Boz pens his usual five points.