by Petra Marquardt-Bigman, The Warped Mirror, Israel - "What, exactly, is a decent person supposed to think?" That was Bradley Burston's question in an emotional piece published on the website of Ha'aretz shortly after an Arab resident from the southeast Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Baher killed three and injured dozens in a bulldozer rampage on Jaffa Road last Wednesday.
by Erin Weir, World Bridge, Chad - This Friday, June 20, is World Refugee Day. It is a day to recognize the struggle of some 12 million refugees worldwide who have been forced out of their homes and homelands by fear, conflict, and persecution.
by Karim Velasco, RH Reality Check, Peru - A new report assessing poverty reduction in Peru analyzes socioeconomic status through many lenses -- except gender.
by Marwa Rakha, Global Voices, Egypt - Back in March 2008, Eman Hashim wrote a post questioning why do Muslim Egyptian women need a “wakeel” - a man who has to sign her off to her husband. Let me give you a bit more insight here: unlike Western cultures where the father gives away the bride as a jest of his approval and blessing, in Islam the marriage is “flawed” if the father, or the uncle if the father is deceased, has to speak on the bride's behalf through out all the paperwork and marriage procedures.
by Leila Fadel, Baghdad Observer, Iraq - Jinan is in her late 30s. She wears boot cut jeans with lace flowers snaking up the right leg. Her top is a tight fitting pastel yellow and her chestnut brown hair flows just past her shoulder. The devout Shiite Muslim prays five times a day and fasts during the holy month of Ramadan to focus on God and sacrifice. She was born and raised in the southern port city of Basra.
by Mona Eltahawy, PostGlobal, USA - That’s the beauty of blogs and those who run them in the Arab world. They have each other’s backs, and they’re determined to stay on the back of their respective regimes.
by Juliana Rincón Parra, Global Voices, Latin America - With two very recent natural disasters in mind: the cyclone in Myanmar and the Earthquake in Sichuan, China, the topic of getting pure and drinkable water to needy populations has come back into the conversation. Following, several videos which propose different solutions to supply clean water or at least make it easier for people to have a healthful liquid to drink.
by Alice Poon, Asia Sentinel, China - 'It’s just so strange that when there are numerous complaints from the earthquake victims in the disaster area and from mainland netizens, all the Hong Kong media only focus on reporting the positive but not the negative. If we want to read negative news, we have to turn to news reports from the west, Taiwan and Japan.'
by Juliana Rincón Parra, Global Voices, Americas - The international food shortage and crisis is doing its rounds on the blogosphere, and videos are no exception. From Haiti: people eating dirt to survive, and a plan to help feed the hungry Haitian children. Haiti is the poorest country in the American continent, and hunger for them has been an important issue since before this crisis took to the headlines.
by Lydia Beyoud, Global Voices, Middle East - Tunisian blogger Stupeur!! Un nouveu depart!! (Stupor!! A New Beginning!!) responds to a Yemen Times article about an 8 year-old girl who is trying to file for divorce from a 30 year-old man she says her father forced her to marry.
by Kim Zetter, Wired, USA - Lynndie England, the former Abu Ghraib guard whose face became a symbol in 2004 for everything that went wrong with the Iraq War, has blamed the media for the prisoner abuse scandal that brought shame to the military in a new interview with the German news magazine Stern (the interview is in English).
by Mona Eltahawy, Mona Eltahawy Blog, USA - For this Muslim, no number of Danish cartoons or Dutch films will ever be more offensive than the seven suicide attacks that have killed at least 100 in Pakistan in the past three weeks alone. No slur is as horrible as the 600 people dying in violence in Pakistan since the start of the year.
by Barbara Ehrenreich, USA - When Americans vote for "change," what they're really saying is, "Get us out of here!"
by Mialy Andriamananjara, Global Voices - With a Valentine's Day performance of the controversial Vagina Monologues and a human rights committee's decision to call for a review of Madagascar's abortion ban, gender issues are a hot topic the Malagasy blogosphere.
by Sophia Dembling, World Hum - Sophia hears a lot about her home state while she’s on the road, particularly from other travelers intent on steering clear of the land of George W. Bush, Jasper and big hair. Her response: Get over it.
by Florence Mpaayei et all, womensphere, Kenya - Kenyan women assert their rights as citizens of this country to participate in all political processes and initiatives that seek to find solutions to the crisis that currently that our beloved motherland faces. We are mindful of our special responsibilities in all the spheres of nation building including truth & justice seeking, peace building and reconciliation. We embrace all our diversities as we collectively seek solutions. We acknowledge that in the resolution of the current conflict, there has to be ‘give and take’ from both sides of the political divide. We assert that as citizens we must take responsibility for resolving and transforming the conflict and the inclusion and participation of civic groups, including women’s groups at the community level is critical to the success of efforts to resolve the conflict.
by Mona Eltahawy, PostGlobal, USA - With U.S. presidential primary season in full swing, there's a lot of talk here about "change" vs. "competence" in leadership. Which does your country have more of? Is that a good thing?
by Shailja Patel, Mshale.com, USA - The first type of violence, which erupted in the immediate aftermath of the elections, was spontaneous, anarchic protest at the announcement of the presidential result.
by Zeinobia, Egyptian Chronicles, Egypt - Where are the rich Gulf states? Why don't they send food stock and medical supplies to Rafah for free? Where are the red crescent associations from Egypt, Jordan, Emirates and Bahrain?
by Debra Dickerson, Mother Jones, USA - There are dozens, if not hundreds, of US feminist organizations involved in promoting women's rights and well-being around the globe
by Ros Taylor, Guardian News Blog, UK - "I don't know who did it," one "cheerful" Gazan taxi driver tells the Independent. "He was returning from Egypt finally in possession of the means of earning the livelihood a seven-month Israeli blockade had gradually denied him: tyres, car batteries, diesel and spare parts, costing some $1,300 (£650)."
by Rachel, Yael, Naomi et al, Global Voices - The plant which supplies 70% of Gaza's electricity is in Israel. Hamas has been shooting rockets at this plant ever since the ‘disengagement'. Now, Palestinians are crying that they don't have enough electricity. They are complaining about Israeli sanctions against them.
by Esther, Islam in Europe - That immigrants live in stable families and hold the family together is nothing more than a myth. Chileans and Iranian women divorce 4-5 times more often than the average Swedish woman.
by Aimée Kligman, Women´s Lens - The majority sentenced to death by stoning are women, Amnesty says
by faboo mama, USA - There are, what, nine white female governors? And one black male governor, and never a black female governor.
by Renata Avila, Global Voices Online, USA - For the many Guatemalan migrants hoping to earn a better livelihood abroad, a simple phone call replaces the joys of dining room conversations and walks throughout the plaza.
by Emily Holland, International Rescue Committee, Sudan-Today, I arrived in Nyala, Darfur to document the International Rescue Committee's programs here, in particular those aiding displaced women. Approximately 50,000 people displaced by the Darfur conflict currently reside here, many in makeshift shelters -- some without a roof over their heads. The IRC has operated a health clinic in Otash since August 2004, which provides critical services to internally displaced people, plus special care for women.
by Charlayne Hunter-Gault, All Africa, South Africa-How the ANC embarked on damage control after the exuberant behavior of presidential challenger Jacob Zuma's supporters at the ANC conference on Sunday. To no one's surprise, Thabo Mbeki, president of the ruling African National Congress Party and his deputy, Jacob Zuma were nominated tonight for the position Mbeki now holds.
by Urmil, Future Of Women In India - Globalization has provided opportunities for the educated, middle class woman to build her own dreams and excel in fields, which were earlier perceived as complete male domains.
by Yoani Sánchez, Generation Y, Cuba - I learned, long time ago, that the best way to fool the “safetists” is to make public everything that one thinks. By signing with the name, while saying aloud the opinions, and by not hiding anything, we disarm their dark maneuvers of vigilance.
by Zubeida Jaffer, allAfrica.com, South Africa - There are thousands if not millions who support the ANC but find Jacob Zuma's conduct completely unacceptable. What is my sister going to do in 2009 when she has to vote?
by Laurie Fendrich, Brainstorm, USA - Take the word “process,” which now sticks like clingwrap to nouns that used to stand proudly alone. For example, instead of a campaign, it’s now the “campaign process”.
by Melissa De Leòn Douglass, Global Voices, Panama - From the Panamanian rainforest indigenous areas comes one of the most colorful photos ever
by Emily Murgatroyd, DeSmogBlog, USA - Enough is enough. Over 200 climate scientists have signed a petition urging government leaders in Bali to take urgent action on climate change.
by Mona Eltahawy, PostGlobal, USA - U.S. foreign policy in many parts of the world has a lot to answer for, but it’s never enough to absolve dictators or populists.
by Nina Brenjo, Alertnet - In USA for example, the rate of HIV/AIDS diagnosis is 20 times higher for black women than their white counterparts.
by Amira Al Hussaini, Global Voices, Egypt - A storm is brewing in the Egyptian blogosphere after video hosting site YouTube removed several videos featuring policemen torturing victims from their site.
by Tessa Lewin, 16 Days Against Gender Violence - South Africa has one of the highest levels of domestic violence and rape of any country in the world.
by Sarah Jacobs, Alertnet, DRC - "The women and girls arrive here completely traumatised," says Dr Claude Masumbuko.
by Deborah Haynes, Inside Iraq Blog, Iraq - Scared, alone and in fear of their life, scores of Iraqi interpreters who worked for the British Army have been in touch with The Times since the newspaper launched a campaign in August to highlight their plight.
by Xenia Awimova, Foto-Griffaneurei, Belarus - Created by a 23 year-old aspiring photojournalist who lives and works in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. Her collections of black and white photos chronicle her live and that of her home city.
by Kate Thomas, Alertnet, Eastern Congo - In Congo's IDP camps, fear is as contagious as cholera. This week rebels attacked stations manned by government forces. 28,000 already uprooted people poured into the streets outside Mugunga and fled.
by Emma Batha, Alertnet - Interview with U.N. crisis expert Kathleen Cravero. Rape has always been used as a weapon of war but the type of brutality inflicted on women today is unprecedented.
by Kate Holt, AlertNet, Nairobi - Amera is 36 years old. A widow, she has four children. Her husband was shot and killed last year in Mogadishu.
by Neha Viswanathan, Global Voices, Pakistan - President Musharraf has declared a state of emergency in Pakistan. According to news sources, among other things this means “The Fundamental Rights of the citizens are now suspended. All the news channels have been taken off air and mobile phone signals and Internet connections jammed.”.
by Gillian Horne, Guatemala Solidarity Network - Who will be the next president of Guatemala? The first run off takes place tomorrow Sunday,November 4th.
by Megan Rowling, Reuters Alertnet - The Darfur peace talks in Libya may have got off to a disappointing start with a boycott by key rebel factions. But activist Safaa Elagib Adam made sure she was there to push for better representation for women from the outset.
by Ramata Sore, Global Voices, Burkina Faso - In a country where there is still so much secrecy, blogs free minds. In Burkina Faso, blogging is more than a pastime. It is the eyes and ears of thousands of net users.
by Anne-Marie Slaughter, On The Ground, USA - I was reminded that in a flat world with Asia rising, the US can simply fall off the map.
by Naomi Wolf, Firedoglake, USA - We need to hold monthly strikes — a word that is too scary for some, and we want to be inclusive, so rather we will urge people of all walks of life to participate in mass-action Constitution Days.
