Archive for
March 2nd, 2009

   

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Haiti: Carnival or Nothing!

The succession of disasters in Haiti in 2008 like the hurricanes Ike, Hannah and Gustav and the tragic collapse of a primary school in November, in Pétionville, has probably made the celebration of Carnival even more relevant and necessary in Haiti this year.

From as early as January 4th, blogger Darlie started her countdown to the official launch of Carnival - a date confirmed by Haitian blogger Elsie, who posts a message received from Espace Loas Centre d'Art Haitien explaining the religious origins of Carnival [Fr]:

[…] La saison dite de carnaval se déroule suivant le calendrier catholique du jour des rois et a donc commencé le Dimanche après l'Epiphanie (4 Janvier) pour atteindre sa culmination le 24 février, dernier jour des “ trois jours gras ”.

[…] The Carnival season follows the Catholic calendar and therefore, started on the first Sunday after Epiphany (Jan. 4th) to climax on February 24th, last of the “three fat days”.

What truly explains the importance of Carnival in Haiti is the fact that this tradition is very deeply anchored in the Haitian popular culture. Here are opinions about this analysis shared both in Elsie's [Fr]:

Le Carnaval ou « mardi-gras » demeure l'une des grandes manifestations socioculturelles du peuple haïtien.

Carnival or “Mardi-Gras” is still one of the biggest social and cultural events for Haitian people.

and Darlie's posts [Fr] :

C'est devenu au fil du temps, la plus grande manifestation culturelle haïtienne où l'on voit des millions de gens de tout âge, de toute culture, de tout horizon…

It has gradually become the biggest Haitian cultural event where you can see millions of people of different ages, cultures and backgrounds…

According to Elsie's post, Carnival has another function - it would be scheduled despite social, economic or political difficulties [Fr]:

[…] Comme a dit un ancien maire de Port-au-Prince, dans la société haïtienne, cette festivité n'est pas négociable.
[…] Tacitement, il y a une trêve politique; les problèmes sociaux passent au second plan pour laisser place au défoulement indispensable.

[…] A former mayor of Port-au-Prince used to say that in the Haitian society, this celebration is non-negotiable.
[…] It is a tacit political truce; social problems are left behind to yield to the essential need to unwind.

However, Darlie tackles another aspect of Carnival which makes it a huge marketing and advertising support for companies [Fr]:

C'est un atout majeur pour les commerçants et fabricants de faire connaître leurs produits en investissant fort dans la publicité.

It is a major asset for retailers and producers who can introduce their products through some serious advertising.

Julie blogs about her experience of Carnival in Haiti and shows this picture with her comment [Fr]:

J'aurais pû faire un zoom sur les magnifiques costumes mais il aurait été dommage de vous priver de la grosse campagne de promo des compagnies américaines qui importent le riz en Haiti, anéantissant la production rizicole nationale.

I could have zoomed into the gorgeous costumes but unfortunately, you would have missed the huge advertising campaign of the American rice importers in Haiti, which ruin the local rice production.

On her blog, she posts pictures of Carnival - not only from Port-au-Prince, but also the wonderful Carnival of Jacmel, with its masks, its monsters or animals.

Though Darlie condemns some violence in the parades and deplores casualties, she regrets that Haitian Carnival is not be more popular abroad and repeats how much she enjoys it [Fr].

The thumbnail photograph used in this post, “Carnival in Haiti”, is by Ben Gancsos (photo © Ben Gancsos / Wonderful Machine) and is used with permission. Visit Ben's website and flickr photostream.

Africa: Winners of the First African Blog Award for Journalists Are…

The winners of Waxal - Blogging Africa Awards (BAA) have been announced. Waxal is an initiative of Panos Institute of West Africa (PIWA) with the partnership of Highway Africa and Global Voices Online (Sub-Saharan Africa). gv-waxal1

Waxal (pronounced WA-HAL), which means “speak” in Wolof, captures the essence of the evolution of the worlwide web as a platform for conversation and for raising marginalized voices. The first edition of the award recognizes the use of new media by professional journalists in Africa and by African media organizations working to promote the production of alternative information and citizen expression.

After reviewing the submitted blogs, members of the jury awarded four prizes corresponding to the three categories announced at the beginning of the contest and an additional special award of encouragement. The jury looked at blogs that illustrate good editorial line, quality of expression, interaction with users, originality, regular posts and a variety of format for content. 10 blogs have also attracted the attention of jury members.

The jury was made up of Dr. Lilian Ndangam, Cameroonian Media Professor based in Canada, Joel Phiri, Filmmaker and Multi-media expert from Zimbabwe and Fatou Jagne, Freedom of Expression and media expert. She is the Coordinator of Article 19 Africa. All jury members are bilingual.

And the winners are…

1. Best Journalist Blog (Francophone):
Cedric Kalonji from the Democratic Republic of Congo (he used to blog at www.congoblog.net blog). Cedric has been working for five years as a journalist for Radio Okapi:

I have been working for five years as a journalist for Radio Okapi (http://www.radiookapi.net) in Kinshasa. In 2005, I created a Blog on which I posted pictures and personal thoughts on ordinary daily life in Congo. More precisely, it all started in September 2005. At the time I was using a small digital camera that my mother had given me as a present. I posted my pictures and wrote captions to explain the content of the photos in more detail. (…) Very quickly I received comments and points of views from visitors, mainly from Congolese living abroad. At that time, there were very few pictures of Kinshasa on the Internet; this was a result of the 32 year-long dictatorship under Mobutu (…)I come from a country where most of the journalists are praising those in power, in order to receive protection and rewards. It is difficult, in that context, to be an independent journalist. You have to withstand strong criticisms and sometimes even threats. Thanks to the Internet, I can publish my articles without fearing the censorship that the ordinary newspapers are subject to. (…) My desire to share experiences of my daily life was driven by a deep need to express myself freely. Thanks to my Blog, I had the opportunity to develop a media of my own, and to talk freely on subjects that matter to me, without being censored. Nevertheless, I was and am very careful with my editorial line, and always take into account my own security.

He receives I million CFA Francs (about US$2,000).

2 - Best Journalist Blog (Anglophone):
Rosebell Kagumire, a journalist from Uganda. Rosebell works for the Independent newspaper. She blogs mostly about her job as a journalist:

I write mainly about my job as a journalist and also I comment on socio-political issues in Uganda and Africa mostly. I also write about opportunities that my colleagues can benefit from especially media related training. I write about conflict and the work I write in other media is always brought to feature on my blog. (…)Though very new my blog gives people my views about my life, my country and life generally (…)My interest in blogging is to express myself in sometimes ways that cannot be accepted in the media. I believe also it’s important for people and friend s to know my thought, principle and values which are all reflected in the different posts on my blog. I also think I can trigger discussion about many issues some of which I write about and others that are featured in the media for positive change. I get discussions going especially by posting my blog posts on facebook to share them with my colleagues. Through such discussion i get to know how the society views certain issues.

Rosebell receives 1 million CFA Francs (about US$ 2, 000).

3 – Best African Civil Society Organization’s Blog:
Lusaka Times, a news and discussion blog run by Zambians from around the world.

LT is an electronic news platform that allows all types of users to have an open discussion on the day to day current issues in Zambia. The idea that is powering Lusakatimes today was birthed in 1998 as a casual conversation between friends. In 1999, the idea was made manifest with the launch of Lusaka Information Dispatch. The project was funded by the Dutch IICD who provided seed capital for the equipment and operational costs for a limited duration. However, the operational model for Information Dispatch proved too difficult to sustain at the time. In 2002 Information Dispatch suspended its operation after key members quit the group. In January 2007, the site was re-launched under the new URL address called lusakatimes.com and a new operational model. Today Lusakatimes is run by a number of people distributed around the world, working in an open source type of structure, purely driven by hobby and ambition to provide Zambians around the world with current news content based on facts and not speculation. Our day to day news content comes from known Zambian sources like Zambia Daily-Mail, Times of Zambia, ZNBC and ZANIS. These are the giants whose shoulders we stand on. Our added value to the commodity called news is the speed with which we deliver it to our readers and the community, feeling and experience we have created around the news content on our website. Additionally, Lusakatimes also provides a platform for any Zambian who wants their article published, provided they take full ownership and responsibility of the content. The ability of our users to be able to read news and anonymously provide immediate feedback is something we have always highly valued from the Information Dispatch days. Lusakatimes.com was ranked as the most visited website in Zambia under traffic listing on Alex.

Lusaka Times receives 2 millions CFA Francs (about US$ 4, 000).

4. Special Panos Institute West Africa Prize for West Africa:
Israel Yoroba Guebo from Côte d’Ivoire. Israel receives 500 000 CFA Francs (about US$ 1, 000).

Below are blogs that received congratulations from the jury:

Category 1: Best French-speaking journalist’s blog (Non-hierarchical classification):
Edouard Tamba from Cameroun
Ramata Sore from Burkina Faso
Basile Niane from Senegal

Category 2 - Best English-speaking journalist’s blog (Non-hierarchical classification):
Emmanuel Onyango from Tanzania
Conrad Dube from Zimbabwe
Khaya Dlanga from South Africa.

Category 3 – Best African Civil Society Organization’s Blog (Non-hierarchical classification):
Penplusbytes' blog that covered 2008 elections in Ghana
REgul-Telco-Afrik from Senegal
20mai.net from Cameroon
Remastp News

Other blogs captured the attention of jury members individually, but were not unanimously selected for different reasons:

Remmy Nweke from Nigeria,
Martin Aihonnou from Benin
Nadine Kouamouo-Tchaptchet from Côte d’Ivoire
Vusi Gumede from South Africa
Khaya Dlanga from South Africa
Shashank Bengali from Kenya

The winners will receive their prizes at a special event in Dakar, Senegal on March 9th 2009.

Guinea-Bissau: President's assassination sparks alarm at instability

Guinea-Bissau President Joao Bernardo Vieira was assassinated in the first hours of this morning, allegedly in an attack by renegade soldiers as he fled his home. The crime happened a few hours after his long term rival, the country's army chief General Batista Tagme, was killed by a bomb blast, late on Sunday. Although the reasons are still unknnon, the crimes have sparked alarm at instability in the young West African republic.

António Aly Silva [pt] has been following the news as it unfolds. In his latest post [pt], he brings the news that there will be 7 days of national mourning for the assassination of the president and two State funerals. He promises to publish exclusive pictures of the funerals tomorrow:

bissau22

Monday March 02 2009 at 4:51
Has Nino Vieira been assassinated (?)
Violent morning
We have been under fire from machine guns for over 30 minutes - and what machines! (AAS from mobile)
Sunday March 01 2009 at 10:32 PM
Military maneuvres in Bissau
Today, a violent blast hit the armed forces headquarters of Guine. I saw four injured people in the hospital, two of whom were burned and are in a critical situation. There are rumours that CEMGFA, chief general Tagme Na Waie is dead. It is Guiné-Bissau at its best. It is painful to write this piece of news.

This piece of news has prompted Jorge Rosmaninho [pt], who had put a final stop on the Africanidades blog last year, to blog again. He publishes the picture below and wonders: nino_tagme

Quem mataria quem, primeiro? Afinal morreram os dois.

Who would have kilked who first? After all, both have died.

Reporter Luis Castro [pt] provides some background info on the relationship between both men:

Conheço muito bem a realidade da Guiné-Bissau e os seus jogos de poder. Acompanhei a guerra civil de 1998/1999, eleições, golpes de Estado, estive preso, fui interrogado de arma apontada à cabeça, fui sentenciado de morte e tive de fugir resgatado pelos fuzileiros portugueses. O que aconteceu ontem e hoje não foi novidade para mim. De resto, há muito que o esperava. O confronto entre o Presidente Nino Vieira e o chefe de Estado maior, não é de agora. Recordo que Tagma Na Waie era infértil devido aos choques eléctricos a que foi sujeito nos testículos (disse-me em entrevista ) pelos homens de Nino e combateu-o ferozmente durante a guerra. Mais tarde, apesar de o ter ajudado a regressar à Guiné e ao poder, Tagma voltou a afastar-se de Nino. Tudo se agravou ainda mais quando o Presidente tentou que o programa do governo de Carlos Gomes Júnior fosse chumbado. O chefe de Estado maior pôs-se ao lado do PM, dizendo que o governo fora eleito e, como tal, deveria governar. Era previsível que um deles iria morrer. Era Nino ou Tgama. Morerarm os dois.

I know the reality faced by Guinea-Bissau and the game of power there very well. I have followed the 1998/1999 civil war, the election, coup d'état, I was arrested, questioned with a gun at my head, was sentenced to death and had to flee, after I was rescued by Portuguese army officers. What happened yesterday and today is not a surprise to me. On the contrary, I have expecteded it for a long time. The confrontation between President Vieira and the head of state is not recent. I recall that Tagma In Waie became infertile due to electric shocks that he were inflicted to his testicles (he told me this in an interview) by Nino's men, who he fought fiercely during the war. Later, despite having helped him to return to Guinea and to power, Tagma kept himself away from Nino again. Things went from bad to worse when the president tried to shut down the government program of [prime minister] Carlos Gomes Junior. The armed forces chief stood by the PM, saying that the government was elected and should govern as such. It was expected that either one or the other would die. Nino or Tgama. Both have.

Solidarity

Lusophone bloggers, also from former Portuguese colonies, have lamented the incident and sent messages of solidarity to the people of Guinea-Bissau: From Cape Verde, João Dono [pt] says:

Espero que, a semelhança do que aconteceu em Angola, a paz passa a reinar em na Guiné-Bissau. O homem com história de Nino Vieira só poderia ter este fim. Ele escolheu este caminho, um caminho que muito fez sofrer os nossos irmãos. Vamos acompanhar as horas e os minutos de angústia na Guiné-Bissau.

I hope that, like in Angola, peace will reign in Guinea-Bissau. A man with a history like Nino Vieira could only end like this. He has chosen this path, a path that has brought much suffering to our brothers. We will monitor the hours and minutes of trouble in Guinea Bissau.

Also from Cape Verde, Cesar Schofield Cardoso [pt] says:

Passando à revista às minhas tropas dei por falta de…tolerância na Guiné-Bissau. Os demónios voltam a ensombrar este país, irmão de armas, que ainda não aprendeu a largar as armas. Terão matado Nino Vieira, em retalhação ao assassinato do Chefe do Estado Maior. Tempo de ódio na Guiné.

Inspecting my troops I noticed that… tolerance in Guinea Bissau is missing. The demons have again overshadowed this country, our brother in arms, which has not yet learned to drop the weapons. They have killed Vieira in retaliation for the assassination of the army chief. Time of hate in Guinea.

From Mozambique, Manuel de Araújo [pt] says:

Muitas razoes para ajudarmos Guine-Bissau a encontrar o caminho da paz e da reconciliacao nacional. Onde andam os nossos pacificadores mor? Onde anda a CPLP? Onde anda a Uniao Africana? (…) Nao podem ajudar os nossos irmaos a respirar o ar puro da reconciliacao nacional?

There are many reasons for us to help Guinea-Bissau find its path to peace and national reconciliation. Where are our leading peacemakers? Where is the [Community of Portuguese Language Countries] CPLP? Where is the African Union? (…) Can they not help our brothers to breathe the pure air of national reconciliation?

From Angola, Eugénio Costa Almeida [pt] says:

Que a morte dos supostos arqui-inimigos sirva para a Sociedade Bissau-guineense criar uma Comissão de Verdade e Reconciliação e afastem dos espíritos as vinganças e façam da Guiné-Bissau um País enorme e próspero.

Hopefuly the death of the supposed arch-enemies will help the people of Guinea-Bissau to create a Truth and Reconciliation Commission that will put an end to the spirit of revenge and make Guinea-Bissau a huge and prosperous country.

Guinea-Bissau has a population of 1.6 million people and since independence in 1974 the country has endured years of instability, and more recently the country has emerged as a route for smuggling cocaine from Latin American to Europe.

Korea: First dating, how to read your partner within 10 minutes.

How can you find a perfect man for yourself as soon as possible? I discovered that a blogger shares some interesting psychological analyses of how you can read personalities and characteristics of a man you’re dating, and find a man who is suitable for your personality.

남자를 꼭 몇개월씩 사귀어야 그 사람의 됨됨이를 알 수 있는 건 아니다. 단 10분 만으로도그 사람의 인성을 어느 정도 파악할 수 있다.

좋아하는 운동은 뭔가?
- 달리기나 수영 같은 혼자 하는 운동을 좋아하는 남자들은 독립적이고 혼자 있는 시간을 즐기는 타입.
- 축구, 농구, 야구 같은 팀 스포트를 즐기는 남자들은 경쟁적이면서도 사람들과 어울리길 좋아하는 타입
- 운동을 거의 하지 않는 남자들은 독립적이고 감성적인, 생각이 깊은 타입일 가능성이 높다.

In order to understand what kind of person you are dating, you don’t have to go out with him for several months. You can catch hold of his personality within 10 minutes.

What is your favorite sport?
-A man who likes running and swimming, which can be done alone, is independent and enjoys his time alone.
-A man who likes team-sports, such as soccer, basketball, and baseball, is competitive and likes to get along with people.
-A man who barely plays sports is possibly independent, sensitive, and a deep-thinker.

얼마나 오래 친구를 사귀는가?
- 10년 이상된 친구들과 친하다: 유대 관계가 깊고 진득한 타입. 그러나 변화를 싫어하는 성격일수도 있으니 주의가 필요. 게다가 신뢰를 얻고 마음을 열게 하기까지 오랜 시간이 걸릴 수도 있음.
- 아무하고나 잘 친해진다: 새로운 환경에 쉽게 적응하는 타입

How long are his friendships?
-He goes out with friends who have known him more than 10 years: His relations are deep and are dignified. However, he might not like change. It might take a long time to get trust from him.
-He goes out with any stranger at ease: He is adjusting to a new environment at ease.

나쁜 버릇엔 뭐가 있는가?
- 도박을 좋아한다: 위험을 쉽게 감수하는 타입. 주변을 즐겁게 해주는 경우가 많으나 지나치게 낙관적이고 현실을 직시하지 못하는 경우가 많다.
- 흡연량이 많다: 초조해하고 걱정이 많을 수 있다.
- 술을 많이 마신다: 자주 불안해하는 성격일 가능성이 많다. 

What bad habits does he have?
-He likes gambling: He intends to face danger. Even though he entertains people around him, but might be way too positive and not be able to face reality.
-He smokes a lot: He could be easily irritated and anxious.
-He drinks a lot: He might have the personality to be frequently uneasy.

의사소통 스타일은?
- 전화보다는 메일을 많이 쓴다: 쉽게 마음을 열지 않는 성격이 가능성 높음. 이메일은 자신의 생각을 여러번 고쳐 보낼 수 있기 때문에 자신의 솔직한 감정을 감추기 쉽다.
- 메신저를 많이 쓴다: 지속적인 관심을 바라는 편, 관심이 없으면 초조해 하는 편.
-전화를 많이 한다: 여자와의 친밀함을 두려워 하지 않는 전형적인 적극적 남성상.

How’s his communication style?
-Rather than calling, he uses email: He might be a person who doesn’t open his mind easily. Email can hide his frank emotion because he can change his thoughts many times.
-He uses internet messengers: He wants consistent attention. Without it, he could be restless.
-He calls a lot: He is not afraid of being close to women. He is a very active man.

여자가 무슨 옷을 입는 것을 좋아하는가?
- 아무렇게나 입는 걸 좋아함: 현실적이고 편안한 타입의 남자
- 비싼 브랜드 옷 입는 걸 좋아함: 특권 의식이 있는, 돈(부)에 관심이 많은 남자. 현재 돈이 많은 사람일지 몰라도 나중에 돈에 너무 많은 가치를 두는 남자일수도 있음
- 야한 옷 입는 걸 좋아함: 자존감이 강한 남자. 남들로부터 부러움을 사는 것을 즐기는 편이다.

What clothes does he like you to wear?
-He likes casual style: He is realistic and he himself is a comfortable style man.
-He likes expensive brand-clothes: He has special privileges and is interested in money and wealth. Even though he has money at present, he might values money too much.
-He likes sexy style: He has strong pride. He enjoys the envy of others.

운전하는 버릇은?
- 차선을 자주 옮기고 앞 차에 바짝 따라붙으며 다른 운전자를 노려봄: 감정을 통제하는데 문제가 있는 남자일 수 있음.
- 막힐 때도 편안하고 느긋하게 운전함: 원래 느긋한 성격이거나 감정 통제가 잘 되는 남자

How’s his driving habit?
-His car is always right behind the car in front and he intends to switch lanes frequently: He has difficulty controlling his emotions.
-He drives comfortably and slowly no matter how horrible the traffic jam is: He is naturally relaxed and controls his emotion well.

좋아하는 TV 프로그램은?
- 시트콤, 연예 프로그램을 잘 봄: 스트레스나 화를 잘 푸는 편일 가능성이 높음. 그러나 진지한 대화가 어려운 상대일 수 있음. 중요한 이야기를 할때 남자가 요점에서 잘 벗어날 수 있으며 이 때문에 여자가 좌절감을 겪을 수 있다.
- CSI 같은 지적인 프로그램을 좋아함: 분석적이고 생각이 깊은 편. 문제가 생겼을 때 해결하려는 능력이 강할 수 있다.

What TV programs does he like?
-He likes to watch TV sitcoms and entertainment programs: He might be a man who escapes from his stress and angers. However, he might be a person who is difficult to have serious conversations with. When you speak about important matters, he might be out of topic all the time and you feel frustration with his conversation.
-He likes TV programs like CSI: He is analytical and thoughtful. When he faces problems, he has strong capability to solve them.

형제 관계는?
- 첫째: 책임감이 강하고 뭔가 맡아서 해보려는 성향이 강하다.
- 막내: 창의적이고 모험심이 강한 편.
- 중간: 많은 관심이 필요한 예민 성격일 가능성 높음.

What order is he of his siblings?
-first one: he has the strong sense of responsibility and tends to take care of matters.
-last one: he is creative and adventurous
-middle: he wants strong attention and is sensitive.

외모에 얼마나 신경을 쓰는가?
- 거울을 자주 보고 헤어 스타일에 신경을 많이 씀: 성공에 대한 잠재적 욕구가 강한 편.
- 외모에 거의 신경 안 씀: 피상적이지 않은 편. 외면보다 내면을 더 중시하는 편.

How much does he care about his appearance?
-He looks at the mirror often and takes care of his hair style: He has strong desire to be successful
-He doesn’t care about his appearance: He is not superficial. He regards internal parts rather than external parts.

같이 있을 때 시선은?
- 대화할 때 시선을 잘 마주치지 않음: 매우 수줍은 성격이거나 믿음직하지 못한 성격.
- 똑바로 마주 봄: 친하려고 애쓰는 편이라 볼 수 있다.
- 눈에 감정이 담김: 여자를 굉장히 좋아하는 상태

His eyesight?
-He doesn’t have eye contact in conversation: He is very shy or not trustful.
-He looks at you directly: He tries hard to be close to you.
-You can read his emotion in his eyes: He likes women a lot.

말하는 스타일
- 말이 무척 많다: 에너지가 넘치는 열정적인 사람. 하지만 매우 자기중심적인 사람일 수도 있음.
- 말수가 적고 천천히 말함: 신중하거나 차분한 성격.

Speaking style
-He speaks a lot: He is energetic and passionate. But he could be very ego-centric.
-He doesn’t speak so much and speaks slowly: He is very cautious and calm.

Kyrgyzstan: Photo-roundup with not a word about politics

A winter time is ending, and Kyrgyzstan is waiting for the hot spring: the rallies, protest actions and so on. But let's talk about beauty, not about the endless politic. What was the photowinter in Kyrgyzstan?

Livejournal user doctormoro posted the unique photos of the famous Kyrgyz actor Suymenkul Chokmorov. The story of these images is unique also. There is a fan of the old film cameras at Diesel Internet forum. Once some woman gave him a bunch of the old films. He scanned them and found out the unique shots from the screen test of the movie “The Scarlett Poppies of the Issyk-Kul” and shots from the filming of that movie. That man kindly provided the shots to doctormoro and he published them in his blog.

Suymenkul Chokmorov
See more unique shots in his blog [ru]. Livejournal user Azamat Imanaliev aka azzzik wrote another part of very interesting notes about his trip to the USA in 2007 year with a lot of nice photos. Read the travel notes of azzzik and realize how the usual Kyrygzstany interpret the USA!

Azzzik's photo
Read and see photos in Azzzik's blog [ru]. Do you know that a lot of Kyrgyzstanis like playing hockey? Do you know that recently there has been the hockey championship in Kyrgyzstan? No? So look, receive evidence and delight! Thanks to azzzik who has visited that championship and made a lot of photos.

Hockey in Kyrgyzstan
See more action hockey images here [ru].Livejournal user _jpeg visited the snowboard competition in Kazakhstan. She was disappointed with the results of the Kyrgyz snowboarders, but she also brought nice shots in spite of a heavy fog.
Snowboarders in KZ
Enjoy the last snow shots at Flickr!As livejournal user nuraika said [ru]:

February gave us a cheery wave and sent the last snow kiss. A bit sad that we won't see the snow soon…

Goodbye, blogowinter! The colored and action blogospring is coming to the restless Kyrgyzstan!

Cambodian Public Opinion Survey

A survey of Cambodian public opinion was conducted by the International Republican Institute from October-November 2008. The survey involved face-to-face interviews carried out by the Center for Advanced Studies in Phnom Penh with a sample size of 2,000 Cambodians. Respondents affiliated with certain institutions, such as media outlets or government agencies, were disqualified from the survey.

Socheata Vong posted key data from the survey:

Is the Country Moving in the Right/Wrong Direction?
* 82% of Cambodians see their country as moving in the right direction, mainly because of the infrastructure they see being built, including roads, schools, health clinics, pagodas etc.
* 17% see the country as moving in the wrong direction, citing the corruption, price of goods, and poverty as the greatest hindrance to their country’s future.

What three issues or concerns do you feel most impact Cambodia as a country?
* 59% of Cambodians said border issues and demarcation as the most concern followed by the prices of goods. (Compared to August 2007 poll, only 5% concerned about border issue – mainly Vietnamese border).

Which one of these has the stronger influence in your daily life?
* Village chief (41%), Prime Minister (28%), Commune Council (14%), National Assembly (5%)

CAAI News Media featured the Phnom Penh Post's coverage of the survey, which highlights the role of village chiefs.

[The survey] found that 85 percent of respondents wanted to elect their own village chief rather than having one imposed by the government. And the survey showed why that was an important consideration: Two-fifths of respondents said the village chief was the most influential person in their lives.

From the same Phnom Penh Post article, Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, said

many village chiefs across the country exerted a strong influence at the local level. [Virak's concern] was that this influence could endanger freedom of expression. “I think that even though Cambodia is seen to be moving in the right direction, that doesn't mean that the government is doing well in all areas,” he said. “The influence of village chiefs means they can play a role as either a protector of human rights or an abuser of them.”