Archive for
May 1st, 2009
Stories
Brazil: Remembering Ayrton Senna, the unbeatable F1 champion
“Ayrton Senna da Silva. In life unbeatable, in death irreplaceable”, says one of the many websites paying homage to the three-time Formula One world champion whose death, on May 1st 1994, shocked Brazil and the world. Leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Senna lost control of his car and left the track at the Tamburello curve. His death, at just 34-years-old, has been mourned by fans throughout the country 15 years on.
“If I ever happen to have an accident that eventually costs me my life, I hope it is in one go. I would not like to be in a wheelchair. I would not like to be in a hospital suffering from whatever injury it was. If I’m going to live, I want to live fully, very intensely, because I am an intense person. It would ruin my life if I had to live partially.”
Ayrton Senna's name was among the most popular tags today on the Brazilian timeline on Twitter. @biellebrunner publishes a photo of a visit she had paid to the monument built on the spot Senna died, on the the Tamburello curve. At the beginning of the week, Vinicius Cordeiro [pt] was one of the first people to remember the sad anniversary this year. He said:
Toda vez que 1º de maio se aproxima, meu coração fica apertado: mais um ano sem Ayrton Senna… Eu estava vendo aquela corrida. :'(
Cordeiro was not alone in front of the television on the Sunday that became known in Brazil as the blackest race in history. Imola also saw the death of Austrian race driver Roland Ratzenberger just a day before Senna's accident. The images, the anguish, the pain are still fresh in many people's memories. Guilherme Tsubota [pt] recalls that fatal day:
O dia da sua morte, infeliz coincidência também do aniversário da minha mãe, foi um dos piores que já vivi. Lembro da empolgação e da certeza que a partir daquele GP de Ímola o Ayrton ia virar o jogo sobre o “alemão”, e como sempre acordei cedo para ver a corrida.
Sentei no sofá e ali fiquei o resto do dia, acompanhando atônito a todas as notícias. Convidados do aniversário?!? Não vi ninguém entrar e sair, não lembro de ter falado com ninguém. Só lembro das imagens e notícias que a Rede Globo disponibilizava sobre o acidente do Senna.
Os dias seguintes viraram história, e qualquer pessoa daquela geração, principalmente os paulistantos, lembram-se de como a cidade parou para homenageá-lo. Impressionante, coisa nunca vista antes.
I sat on the couch and stayed there the rest of the day, following astonishingly every piece of news. The birthday guests? I didn't see anyone coming or leaving, I don't recall having spoken to anybody. I just remember the images and stories that Globo TV broadcast about Senna's accident.
The following days entered into history, and anyone from that generation, especially those from São Paulo, remember how the town stopped to honor him. It was impressive, something I had never seen before.
“On a given day, a given circumstance, you think you have a limit. And you then go for this limit and you touch this limit, and you think, ‘Okay, this is the limit.' As soon as you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high”
Eduardo P.L [pt] takes the opportunity to remember his father, who was a fan of Senna and whose faith, in another series of amazing coincidences, brought him very close to his hero. For the blogger, this is a time of double sadness:
Num sábado, há 15 nos atrás, eu estava num restaurante almoçando, quando fui avisado pelo telefone, que meu pai falecera! Fui para o apartamento dos meus pais, e com minha mãe e irmãos, uns poucos amigos e familiares enterramos o Dr. Santo. No domingo seguinte, portanto um dia depois, morre o Senna. Até aí só uma triste coincidência. Uma semana após chega o corpo ao Brasil, é velado e enterrado no mesmo cemitério, ao lado da tumba do meu pai. Onde estiverem, estão juntos como gostaria meu pai.
Ricardo Vieira [pt] explains how Senna's death has left millions disconsolate:
A partir daquele fatídico domingo, Senna deixou milhões de órfãos, inclusive eu, de suas alegrias, de seu exemplo de vida, de sua determinação profissional e seu maior do moral: a humildade. (…)
Apesar da triste lembrança, apesar da saudade, temos muitos motivos para reverenciar a vida e a obra de Senna.
Despite the sad memories, despite the nostalgia, we have many reasons to honor Senna's life and work.
Fifteen years on, a recent poll by the Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics shows that Ayrton Senna is still the biggest idol even for a younger generation that did not get to know him alive or follow his career: among nearly 400 people aged between 15 and 19, most said Senna was their biggest sporting idol. Like Pele, Senna made Brazilians feel they could achieve international respect. Considering this, Alan Ferraz [pt] believes Senna's greatest legacy was the way he made Brazilians proud of themselves. He feels moved to remember him:
Enquanto escrevia esse post não pude conter as lágrimas, mesmo após 15 anos. Acredito que isso se repita em todos os que amam a fórmula 1 e que foram apunhalados pelo destino com a partida de nosso eterno campeão.
Dia 1 de maio de 1994 estará para sempre na mente de todos que após esse dia não puderam mais ouvir o: Ayrton, Ayrton, AYRTON SENNA DO BRASIL.
May 1st 1994 will be forever in the minds of everyone who after that day could no longer hear the chanting: Ayrton, Ayrton, AYRTON SENNA DO BRASIL.
“Racing, competing, is in my blood. It's part of me, it's part of my life; I've been doing it all my life. And it stands up before anything else”
Often portrayed in the press as being cold and aloof, and much more interested in winning than in sportsmanship, the driver was also a quite controversial figure in the eyes of the public. But, even those who were not big fans, like Wilton Sturm [pt], say there will never be anyone quite like Senna:
Me orgulho de dizer que assisti todas as suas 41 vitórias.
Ficou a impressão de que quando finalmente estava relaxando um pouco, se dando o prazer de apreciar outras coisas que não os champanhes das vitórias, Ayrton Senna se foi.
Hoje, sinto e lamento sua falta. E me esforço para tentar não julgar suas atitudes e sim lembrar suas belas atuações. Nunca fui aquele super “Sennista”, mas costumo dizer que em pista, ou seja, disputando uma corrida de Fórmula 1, Ayrton Senna foi o melhor que eu vi!!! Pretendo um dia visitar seu jazigo e não sei qual será minha reação, mas provavelmente direi “obrigado” pelas grandes corridas, pelas grandes ultrapassagens, pelas grandes vitórias que ele me proporcionou assistir!
It gave the impression that when he finally started to relax a bit, permitting himself to enjoy the pleasure of other things than just the champagne after winnings, Ayrton Senna passed away.
Today, I miss him and regret his absence. I make an effort not to judge his attitude but to remember his beautiful performances. I was never a super “Sennist” but I like to say that on the track, that's to say, during a Formula 1 race, Ayrton Senna was the best I have ever seen! I want to visit his grave one day and I do not know what my reaction will be, but I will probably say “thanks” for the big races, the great overtaking, the great victories he gave me to watch!
Ricardo César [pt] wraps up a series of special posts dedicated to Senna with the following quote:
Primeiro de maio de 2009. São exatamente 15 anos de uma perda sentida até por quem não torcia por ele. Lembranças de quem como eu que acompanhei os 10 anos de sua carreira na F1. Imagens de batalhas e conquistas, de manhã de tarde ou de madrugada.
Lembrança de quem um dia deixou de existir como homem, para renascer como mito, talvez o maior ídolo já produzido por um país carente de heróis. Mais um da Silva como muitos brasileiros que nunca desistem. Aquele que será para sempre o nosso campeão.
Valeu, Ayrton Senna.
Remembering the one who one day ceased to exist as a man to be reborn as a myth, perhaps the greatest idol already born in a country in need of heroes. Another one named ‘da Silva' who, as many Brazilians, never give up. He will forever be our champion.
Thank you, Ayrton Senna.
YouTube user DONIARIANO has posted the video above highlighting the best moments of Ayrton Senna's career, with the song that was the soundtrack of many Sunday mornings in Brazil. Another user, 1958misterLotus1994 posts a video about the 1985 Belgian G.P commented on in English by Senna himself. The Ayrton Senna quotes are from Wikiquotes. The photos are from the AytonSenna.net website and assumed to be in the public domain.
World Videos: “Swine Flu” Perspectives, Humor and a Grain of Salt.
Videos tend to reflect people's states of mind at a set moment in time. People react different ways in the face of crisis, and for all those who have been reading, viewing and absorbing information on the “Swine Flu” (properly known as Influenza A virus subtype H1N1), it might get complicated not only to sort out factual information from rumors, but also to deal with the new restrictions and recommendations. Some find a way to share their state of mind through videos, and this is what I bring to you today: thought provoking, skeptical, musically inclined, creative and humorous videos.
First off we have the Atomicos, an indie rock band from Puebla who have written a song and uploaded a video with English Subtitles regarding the swine flu and the different measures taken. The video has also been translated into French for the videoblog Le Buzz Dorothée. The band's videos and other non-swine flu related songs can be found on their MySpace page.
Big bands are also cashing in on the Swine Flu: The Agrupación Cariño has the Influenza Cumbia which has been dubbed in English, for the listening pleasure of many more people. Following is the English version, and after that you may also view the one in Spanish.
The Bandaloz Group from Durango in Mexico also produced a quite catchy Influenza song where they sing about all the security measures needed to protect oneself from the virus:
In Mexico, people have also been making videos of how life is going on for those who live in the cities, how the situation is being faced at the origin. shizo79 uploaded this video taken on the streets of Mexico City, where of the few people who are outside on the streets some have their masks on, some are mask-less and others wear their masks around their necks:
This cute Mexican girl named Jimena wrote a song about how daily life is going in for students like her, and the smooth rhythm and poignant lyrics reflect what the safety measures are doing for the citizens. Part of the lyrics of her song We're out of Face Masks (which she translated into English on her YouTube page) say:
CHORUS
Damn flu
I can't get out of my house
the news tell me to get rest
naaananana
don't start saying bullcrap
cus is not the world's end yetWe're out of face masks
a note on a door: “There's no vaccines till november”
peoples gettin crazier
panic purchases & we don't even have enough foodBars, concerts & festivals
shows, “antros” & restaurants (that kind of rimed yay)
the movies, coffee shops & sweet16s
everything was cancelled to keep us safe
So what about the rest of the world? From Australia where a Swine Flu case was already confirmed, Community Channel's Natalie posts a video commenting on the paranoid reactions people have been having to anyone who makes the mistake to cough or sneeze:
And last but not least: it was only a matter of time before someone came up with a video game for the swine flu. In SwineFighter, you have to aim a syringe to flying pigs over a map, innoculating them and preventing the virus from spreading before time runs out. You can play HERE.
Barbados: Questions about Maloney inquest verdict
On 17 June, 2008, I'Akobu Tacuma Maloney — a bright, high-achieving 23-year-old Barbadian engineer who had recently graduated from the University of the West Indies, and a devout Rastafari — died in a mysterious encounter with the Barbados police. (See this Global Voices report dated 30 July, 2008, for more details.)
A police report suggested that Maloney jumped from a coastal cliff in a remote area of north Barbados after he was approached by two police officers investigating a report of suspicious behaviour. But Maloney's family immediately objected, refusing to believe that the young man would commit suicide, and pointing out inconsistencies in the police report. Members of the Rastafari community in Barbados set up a blog, AfriKa CRY BLOOD, to publicise their efforts to seek justice in the Maloney case, demanding an independent investigation.
The inquest into Maloney's death opened in November 2008, under coroner Faith Marshall-Harris. Over the next five months, Marshall-Harris heard testimony from witnesses, including Maloney's co-workers and friends and the police officers present at the time of his death. AfriKa CRY BLOOD documented the hearings in detail, including the coroner's criticisms of police procedure.
On Friday 24 April, 2009, Marshall-Harris released her verdict: death by misadventure:
Ruling out an open verdict and death by suicide, the Magistrate surmised that Maloney may have felt some form of harassment from the police officers, especially when they requested that he accompany them to the station and that “he made a sudden dash for freedom”.
There followed an “uproar” in the courtroom as Maloney's family and their supporters reacted:
Tension reached fever-pitch in the small courtyard of the Coroner’s Court on Roebuck Street at 5 p.m., when grieving mother Marguerita Maloney exited the court, raised her hands on the air, shouted “misadventure”, then crumpled to the ground ….
The mother’s cries only fuelled emotions, as I’Akobi’s father David, and his younger brother Mandela, also started to shout at police officers stationed at the court.
“I have pictures of my son’s body, brutalised, manhandled,” she said.
“I call on the ancestors to deal with all the perpetrators… This is only an earth verdict,” she said before collapsing for a second time.
Noting tensions between the Barbados Rastafari community and the police, the coroner urged the Royal Barbados Police Force to address the problem:
“There seems to be a great deal of tension, fear, mistrust and suspicion by the Rastafarian community, but by the same token, the community needs to look carefully at some of their actions which suggest that they are harbouring a victim mentality and may be looking for injustice where it is not intended,” said the coroner.
She was also very critical of how the police officers dealt with Maloney’s mother Marguerita Maloney, saying that they had given her incorrect information and that their actions may have led to the confusion she experienced surrounding her son’s death.
AfriKa CRY BLOOD noted the response of the police commissioner, who said he was willing to meet with the Rastafari community to hear their concerns, but denied that the Barbados police singled out members of any religious or ethnic group.
The Barbados Free Press blog, noting that some Barbados police have received training from China officers (allegedly in violent tactics), addressed a question to the commissioner:
Please inform the good citizens of Barbados whether any of the police officers involved with the death of I’Akobi Maloney, either at the scene or during the subsequent investigation, ever received training from China.
And AfriKa CRY BLOOD published a statement from Maloney's brother Mandela, arguing that “the question of how I’Akobi met his death has still been left unanswered after approximately 10 months of deliberations both inside and out of court”:
Ultimately, [the coroner] failed miserably in her role which was to allay the concerns of our family and the public. There still remains much misinformation disseminated by the police which she would like to have our family believe was a result of miscommunication…. There must be a more sturdy impartial foundation to the proceedings of the coroner’s court if it is seeking to be a truly independent entity.
Kyrgyzstan: Government Acts to Prevent Swine Flu
The import of all types of meat products from the United States and Mexico is banned in Kyrgyzstan now. Deputy Director of the Department of Veterinary Kubanychbek Musakeev explained [ru], that the government imposed this restriction because of the worldwide spread of the swine flu. According to Musakeev's words the import of meat to Kyrgyzstan will be allowed again after the stabilization of the situation with swine flu.
Kyrgyz government has already set up a commission to monitor and to take urgent measures in case of swine flu among the population. The health control will be strengthened at the meat markets.
Despite the fact that we have a favorable situation with this disease, it is necessary to keep this issue under special control, prime-minister Igor Chudinov said.
Head of the Health Ministry, Marat Mambetov said [ru], that there is still no registered case of the swine flu in Kyrgyzstan. He assured that his department holds all necessary measures to prevent the possible occurrence of this type of flu among the population.
According to words of the Chief Medical Officer of Kyrgyzstan Sabirzhan Abdikarimov, his department has the adequate supply of disinfectants and personal protection from swine flu.
More than weird decision of officials to ban the import of meat was commented by Diesel forum users.
Swine flu now spreads droplet from person to person. There is no reason to ban any kind of meat. The stupid bureaucrats are working in the department of veterinary. Really, was it difficult to ask epidemiologists and infectiologists about the sources and transmission of swine flu?, user Cosmopolit surprised [ru].
User Oldman was [ru] categorical:
They have no brains. The transmission of swine flu is not going through the pork meat.
According to the World Health Organization on April, 27, the number of cases was 1600, of which 103 cases ended in deaths (from 22 confirmed dead pig flu, the rest have symptoms similar to the disease).
World Health Organization published [en] FAQ about swine flu. One quotation:
Is it safe to eat pork and pork products?
Yes. Swine influenza has not been shown to be transmissible to people through eating properly handled and prepared pork (pig meat) or other products derived from pigs. The swine influenza virus is killed by cooking temperatures of 160°F/70°C, corresponding to the general guidance for the preparation of pork and other meat.
In this case, it is not quite clear why the officials banned import of meat to Kyrgyzstan.
Korea: Minerva and Release after 100-Days Detention
A blogger who is known by his pseudonym, Minerva, was released after 100 days detention. His 280 postings criticizing economic policies of the new Korean government and predicting economy downturn have become hugely popular due to the accurate diagnosis.
He was arrested by the prosecution authority under the name of spreading false information and of causing economic damage. Since his arrest, netizens and citizen organizations criticize the action of the government and worry the episode indicates the beginning of the suppression of freedom of speech. His release (the prosecution authority is preparing to file an appeal) has produced many opinions on the Internet.
[…]미네르바의 글을 다는 읽지는 않았지만 그가 잡혀들어가야 하는 이유를 전혀 찾아 볼 수가 없다. 검찰 측의 입장은 있지도 않은 사실을 허위로 작성하여 유포시킨 죄가 성립된다고 하는데 누리꾼들의 대부분이 미네르바의 글을 읽으며 공감을 했고 또 한국의 경제상황을 누구보다 미리 예측하였던 것이 어떻게 ‘있지도 않은 사실을 허위로 작성하여 유포시킨' 것으로 일단락시킬 수 있는 것인가. 만약 저 부분이 미네르바의 잘못이라면 한국의 경제를 예측한 것을 책으로 써서 서점에 유포시킨 대부분의 경제학자들에게도 똑같이 적용시킬 수 있는 대목이다. 그러나 과연 그럴까. 이번 사건은 단순히 익명성이라는 문제를 부각시킨 정부의 힘의 논리였다. 인터넷 상에서 익명성을 제거하기 위해 한 사람을 ‘마녀사냥' 한 것에 지나지 않는 것이다.[…]
[…]처음 글이 올라올때까지만 해도 미네르바는 단순히 자신의 추측을 인터넷에 올린 그저 많은 포털 사용자 중 한 명일 뿐이었습니다. 미네르바에 관심이 증폭된 것은 미네르바가 구속된 사건이었습니다. 사건의 중심에 있었던 것은 미네르바가 정확한 추측이 정부에 영향을 미쳤느냐와 허위사실 유포가 맞느냐라는 것입니다. 그런데 이런 논의에 의해 오랜시간 의견이 분리되고 흥분되어 있을 쯤에 누리꾼들의 관심은 정부에서 내세운 죄목보다는 이번 사건이 인터넷 포털 사용자에 대한 MB정부의 탄압에 더 중요한 이슈였습니다.
인터넷이라는 자유를 인정받던 공간에 올린 글 때문에 구속이 되는 어처구니 없는 일이 벌어진 것 때문이지, 미네르바 글의 진실성 때문도 아니고 그렇다고 미네르바가 대단하거나 인터넷 이용자를 대변하는 사람이였기 때문은 더더욱 아니였습니다. 그가 경제 대통령으로 불린 것 또한 우리 경제의 문제점을 정확히 짚고 대책을 내놓아서가 아니라 경제희생 기대에 출범한 MB정부에 대한 실망에 맞물린 역효과의 수혜를 입은 것 외에 더 높게 평가 받을 이유는 없어 보입니다.
이번 미네르바 사건이 우리에게 주는 교육은 극히 당연한 것입니다. 자유롭게 말할 수 있는 권리 인정과 보장!!! 그외에 더 큰 의미는 없습니다.[…]
Due to writings in a space that has had freedom, the Internet, he was arrested and this illogical action made us angry. Whether his writing was true or not and whether he is our hero or not are not the main points. The reason why he is nicknamed as the Economy President is not because he pointed out economic problems and suggested solutions, but because people were dissapointed at the MB government that had expection of developing economy (Lee Myung-Bak called himself the Economy President during the President Campaign).
What we learned from this ‘Minerva Scandal’ is very simple. Acknowledging and providing rights of freedom of speech!!! Nothing else.[…]
3: A netizen introduced how Japanese netizens have reacted,
[…]눈에 띄는 기사가 몇가지 있었는데 바로 몇일전 “미네르바 무죄”와 관련된 기사였습니다. 기사는 한국의 기사와 별반 다를것이 없었는데 기사 밑에 달린 일본 네티즌들의 반응 이었습니다. 역시나 한국 네티즌들의 반응과도 크게 다르지 않았습니다. 이는 비단 한국과 일본 뿐 아니라 이 기사를 접한 대다수 나라의 네티즌들도 같을 것입니다.
[…]무죄는 당연! 왜, 사실을 말해 재판받지 않으면 안 되는 것인지? 게다가, 아마추어의 예측이 한국 정부나 한국 씽크탱크의 예측보다 올바랐던 것이 아닌가?
전체주의 국가는 곤란하다…
죄가 되면 그야말로 비자유주의. 재판관이 상식을 가지고 있었던 일에 놀랐다
언론 탄압인가? 일본의 매스컴도 썩고 있지만요.
한국의 검찰은 바보? 일부러 재판까지 일으켜~나라가 한 명의 네티즌이 그렇게 무서운 것입니까?
이것으로 유죄가 되면, 경제계의 블로그는 쓸 수 없지 않을까?
아직 착실한 재판소가 있어 좋았다.[…]
If he was guilty, it was illiberalism.
I am surprised that the judges were logical.
[…]Isn’t it the suppresion of the press? The Japanese media is also corrupt.
Is the Korean prosecutory authority stupid?
Even having trial… was the country scared of one netizen that much?
If he was guilty, would nobody write about the economy in their blogs?
It’s good that there are still upright judges.
Fiji faces suspension from Pacific Islands Forum
At midnight Friday May 1, Fiji passes a deadline set by the Pacific Islands Forum to schedule elections to be held this year or be kicked from the regional group.
Members of the 16-nation body gave that ultimatum in late January to then-Interim Government leader Frank Bainimarama. The group stated that if Fiji does not meed the deadline, the country would be suspended from all Forum events and cease receiving any new financial and technical assistance. But Bainimarama insisted Fiji would not hold elections until his government could remake the country's race-based electoral code that allows the majority ethnic Fijians to vote on different rolls than ethnic Indians and other minority groups.
Much has changed in Fiji since the deadline. Following an April 9 court decision that Bainimarama’s military-backed regime came to power illegally in December 2006, the country’s President annulled the country’s constitution, fired the judiciary, reappointed the Bainimarama regime and gave it a five-year mandate before promising to hold elections in 2014. A few members of the Forum condemned those moves.
Fiji’s government hopes that diplomatic maneuverings could still win the day. Acting Prime Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum remained optimistic the PIF would not kick out Fiji because member countries are being educated on recent developments in the country. Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, who is traveling to a meeting of the Asian Development Bank, called for an “urgent meeting” with leaders of Australia and New Zealand to stave off the expulsion.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare remain unimpressed.
The Pacific Island Forum has its headquarters based in Suva, Fiji.
Café Pacific investigates the geo-political fallout of a possible Fiji expulsion, especially in light of growing Indian and Chinese influence on the island.
Bainimarama's strongest supporter in the forum, PNG prime minister Sir Michael Somare, has apparently deserted the regime and is siding with the Australian and New Zealand isolationist push. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gloated over the claimed United Nations decision not to award any more peacekeeping duties to the Fiji military. The hypocrisy of Australia and New Zealand is deafening. And this can only end badly, even disastrously for the region. The regime is likely to respond with anger. Will it be time to toss out the Australian high commissioner? The forum has never taken such drastic action against a member in almost four decades of virtual “Pacific way” consensus. If it does so this time – excluding the most influential and crossroads island nation of the region – the isolationist policy will come back to the bite the forum in most unpredictable ways.
It will also open the door to a dramatic rise in Chinese influence in the region, at the expense of Canberra and Wellington. It was interesting to see the turnout for the swearing in of Ratu Epeli Nailatikau as Vice-President – ironically the chief was ousted as military commander when Sitiveni Rabuka staged his double coup in May 1987 (against both Dr Timoci Bavadra's Labour government and against his own two higher ranked army officers). Present for Nailatikau were the high commissioners of India, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea and the ambassadors of China and Kiribati…
Within Fiji, Intelligentsiya argues the Bainimarama regime is to blame and tells people of Fiji to “stand tall” in light of upcoming hardships.
The clock’s ticking Bainimarama but the writing is on the wall.
It’s 3 strikes and a once founding island country is rowing its own canoe out of the PIF family.
What a depressing, emotional day for our noble country.
It should be day of mourning.Once our suspension comes to pass formally, we can expect that to trigger a whole lot of additional testicle squeezing from the international community.
Pleas and blood tie links to Tonga will not help.
The region is not turning their backs on us. Leaders are protesting their opposition to Bainimarama and his illegal regime. And in the process are allowing hard lessons to be learned.
Despite the unabashed trash being heaped on us by the illegal central bank guv, we know better.
Stand tall, united and remain proud Fiji.
Only under intense heat, can gold be found.
From New Zealand, the Whale Oil blog calls Prime Minister John Key’s declaration that Fiji will most likely be expelled from the body a “bad move.”
All this move will do is push Fiji closer and closer to China. Someone other than the fools at Mfat needs to be advising you on Fiji.
I can help there and put you in touch with several folk who have the ear of Frank Bainimarama.
Don't be captured by the bureaucrats, actually make a difference.
With Samoa’s history of problematic representative government, Jone at Fiji Board Exiles says New Zealand and Australia are being hypocritical by siding against Fiji.
Seems strange that NZ and Oz should insist that Fiji returns to democracy, freedom of the press and human rights etc, when its ‘favoured' nation Samoa is so flawed! Add PNG widespread corruption, and Tongan non-democracy, to the Oz/NZ list of ‘favoured' nations, and the hypocrisy is even greater!
Links for Fri, 2009-05
Shirazi at Light Within discusses what Pakistanis can do during Electric Load Shedding.
The Caucasian Knot, the blog of Global Voices Online's Caucasus editor, posts an account as well as videos and photographs shot on mobile and originally uploaded or streamed live to various online sites of today's opposition rally in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, ahead of the municipal election to be held later this month.
Saudi blogger Ndhm [ar] is looking forward to the Arabic translation of Dan Brown's latest book The Lost Symbol. The blogger notes: “It took him five years to write the story which takes place in 12 hours. This reminds me of great Arab authors, who come up with a new book every six months, half of which tackle sex.”
“Why Arabs abroad feel obligated that they MUST know everyone in their city? Even Arabs in nearby cities? Who they are/were friends with? Where they buy their shoes from?” rants Rebellious Arab Girl, a Palestinian who lives in Canada.
Jordanian Batir Wardam at Jordan Watch [ar] asks: “What is the percentage of Arabs who waste most of their time following shallow television shows, devoid of any content, on Arab satellite channels?”
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